Razzle-Dazzle
/ˌræz.əl ˈdæz.əl/noun
Showy, confusing, or impressive activity or display meant to impress or distract.
Did you know?The phrase is modern slang, likely born in the late 19th century from playful reduplication, and it later became famous as the name of the dazzling camouflage used on ships in World War I.
Etymological Timeline
Late 19th Century
English
razzle-dazzle
“A flashy, noisy, or bewildering display; showy confusion.”
Late 19th Century
English
dazzle
“To blind or overwhelm with intense light; by extension, to impress brilliantly.”
Old English
English
adāslan
“To extinguish or deprive of sight, especially by a sudden flash or glare.”
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*daslōną
“To become dim or lose clarity; the ancestral base behind English dazzle.”