hoity-toity
adjective /ˌhɔɪti ˈtɔɪti/
/ˌhɔɪti ˈtɔɪti/
(informal)- behaving in a way that suggests that you think you are more important than other peopleMore Like This Reduplicative wordsReduplicative words
- airy-fairy
- argy-bargy
- chit-chat
- criss-cross
- dilly-dally
- harum-scarum
- helter-skelter
- higgledy-piggledy
- hocus-pocus
- hoity-toity
- hotchpotch
- hurly-burly
- itty-bitty
- mumbo jumbo
- mishmash
- nitty-gritty
- ping-pong
- pitter-patter
- shilly-shally
- teeny-weeny
- tittle-tattle
- touchy-feely
- wishy-washy
Word Originmid 17th cent. (as noun in the sense ‘boisterous or silly behaviour’, then as adjective meaning ‘lively and playful’): from obsolete hoit ‘indulge in riotous mirth’, of unknown origin.