Bloviate

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

To bloviate is to speak pompously and excessively. It is often falsely believed to have been invented by President Warren G. Harding.^{[citation needed]}

Some speculate that bloviate derives from adding a faux-Latin ending to the verb 'to blow' or boast, following a 19th-century fad of adding Latin-like affixes to ordinary words. However, others like William Safire claim that 'bloviate' comes from combining the words 'blow-hard' and 'deviation.'

Although 'bloviate' is listed in slang dictionaries as far back as the 19th century, the term was popularized by President Harding in the 1920s. Famed for his poor English usage, Harding often used the word to describe his long, winding speaking style. The term dropped from popular usage following his presidency but was resurrected in the 1960's when it was sometimes used in reference to Harding.

It became widely spoken again in the 1990's. Today, it appears regularly in The New York Times, The New Yorker and the Washington Post. The term is a darling of Fox News commentator, Bill O'Reilly whose show, The O'Reilly Factor sometimes includes a segment called "Bloviating with Bill."

Bill O’Reilly ‘bloviations’ are frequently the target of MSNBC commentator Keith Olbermann. Ironically, Olbermann’s ‘Special Comment’ segment on the MSNBC Countdown program is the other notable cable news example of bloviating.