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Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)

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First published 1956 (SND Vol. IV). Includes material from the 2005 supplement.
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.

Quotation dates: 1947-1999

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FANTOOSH, adj., n., v. Also fantoush. [fɑn′tu:ʃ]

I. adj. Over-dressed, over-ornamented; flashy, showy; ultra-fashionable (wm.Sc. 1920; Rs., Abd., m. and s.Sc. 1951); exotic. Hence fantoosherie, fuss, pretentiousness, "swank."Ags. 1947 People's Journal (29 Nov.):
There are quite a number who consider it more fantoosh to do their shopping in Perth.
Sc. 1948 Bulletin (29 June):
A fantoush card from the Ministry of Fuel and Power.
wm.Sc. 1949 Scots Mag. (Aug.) 366:
When he tried sangwiches an' fantoosh cakes ye never kent what the end would be.
Gsw. 1951 H. W. Pryde M. McFlannel's Romance 135:
They asked us a' doon to Kilmacolm, but Ah knew fine you couldnae be bothered wi' a' thon fantoosherie.
m.Sc. 1988 William Neill Making Tracks 45:
Proodlie he bure the wee croun on his heid,
an on the wale o corn an meal wad feed,
o aw the gentrie thare the maist fantoosh.
Abd. 1996 Sheena Blackhall Wittgenstein's Web 4:
Bit Bruce, their brither, hid wyled a wife like ye'd chuse a gee-gaw fur yer hoose - a flichtertie craitur, Sassenach, wi lang crammasie fingernails, a fantoosh, bleached-blonde wummin wi a vyce that tore ben Belle's lugs like the pouer saw the widsmen used at Dinnet.
Edb. 1999:
Ah like fantoosh vegetables.

II. n. An over-dressed person (Slg.3 1930).

III. v. Only in ppl.adj. fantooshed, flashily dressed (Ib.).

[The word seems to have been coined during the 1914–18 War under the influence of colloq. or dial. Eng. fanty-sheeny, n., adj., a marionette, showy, fanciful, ad. It. fantoccino, a puppet. Cf. Fr. fantoche, n., id.]

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"Fantoosh adj., n., v.". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 7 Dec 2025 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/snd/fantoosh>

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