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fuss and feathers

noun

  1. an excessively elaborate or pretentious display; ostentation.


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Word History and Origins

Origin of fuss and feathers1

First recorded in 1890–95

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Idioms and Phrases

Needless commotion and display, as in There was so much fuss and feathers over the award ceremony that I decided not to attend . This expression probably survives because of its appealing alliteration. [Mid-1800s]

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.

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