hoity-toity

plural hoity-toities · alternative hoitytoity · alternative hoity toity

1. archaicuncountableBehaviour adopted to demonstrate one's superiority; pretentious or snobbish behaviour; airs and graces.

   [O]ne piece of early homage still / Exacted of you; after your three bouts / At hoitytoity, great men with long words, / And so forth,— […]

   1875, Robert Browning, Aristophanes’ Apology […], London: Smith, Elder, & Co., […], →OCLC, page 142

   Synonyms: affectations, airs, huffiness, pretensions

2. obsoleteuncountableFlighty, giddy, or silly behaviour; also, noisy merriment.

   And I'll divert ye with my Hoyty toyty; / With Fortune's choicest Blessings may regale ye, / And Wealth, and Wine, and Women, never fail ye.

   1719, [Thomas] d’Urfey, “An Epilogue. For Crab and Gillian: In One of My Comedies.”, in Songs Compleat, Pleasant and Divertive; […], volume I, London: […] W. Pearson, for J[acob] Tonson, […], published 19th century, →OCLC, page 354

   2 more examples

   The VViddovvs I observ'd that vvere marching off, vvith the marque out of their mouths, vvere hugely concern'd to be thought Young, and ſtill talking of Maſques, Balls, Fiddles, Treats; Chanting and Jigging to every tune they heard, and all upon the Hoyty-Toyty like mad vvenches of fifteen.

   1667, Francisco de Quevedo Villegas, “The Fourth Vision of Loving Fools”, in R[oger] L[’Estrange], transl., The Visions of Dom Francisco de Quevedo Villegas, […], London: […] H[enry] Herringman […], →OCLC, page 123

   If this [Georges] Danton were to burst your meshwork!—Very curious indeed to consider. It turns on a hair: and what a Hoitytoity was there, Justice and Culprit changing places; and the whole History of France running changed!

   1837, Thomas Carlyle, “Danton, No Weakness”, in The French Revolution: A History […], volume III (The Guillotine), London: James Fraser, […], →OCLC, book VI (Thermidor), page 358

   Synonyms: flightiness, giddiness, silliness, frolic, high jinks, romping

3. UKcountabledialectalA young woman regarded as flighty, giddy, or silly.

   Whily Kate the Brown, the Plump, / The Frowzy Browzy, / Hoyty Toyty, / Covent-Garden Harridan, / Soon made poor Jockey’s Head to Ake, / And spoyl’d him for a merry Man.

   1719, [Thomas] d’Urfey, “The Scotch Cuckold: A New Song to a Northern Tune”, in Songs Compleat, Pleasant and Divertive; […], volume I, London: […] W. Pearson, for J[acob] Tonson, […], published 19th century, →OCLC, page 255

comparative hoity-toitier · superlative hoity-toitiest · alternative hoitytoity · alternative hoity toity

1. Affected or pretentious, sometimes with the implication of displaying an air of excessive fanciness or ostentation; pompous, self-important, snobbish; often displaying a feeling of patronizing self-aggrandizing or arrogant class superiority.

   [S]ee what hoity-toity airs she took[…].

   1819 (date written), John Keats, “The Cap and Bells; or, The Jealousies”, in [Horace Elisha Scudder], editor, The Complete Poetical Works and Letters of John Keats, Cambridge edition, Boston, Mass.; New York, N.Y.: Houghton, Mifflin and Company […], published 1899, →OCLC, stanza LXXIX, page 230, column 1

   1 more example

   The other models were gas fun, though they were all a bit hoity-toity.

   2016, Liz Nugent, “Karen”, in Lying in Wait, [Dublin]: Penguin Ireland, →ISBN, page 113

2. obsoleteFlighty, giddy, silly; also, merry in a noisy manner.

   [W]e have been married fifteen Years, I take it: and that hoighty toighty buſineſs ought, in Conſcience, to be over.

   1690, [John] Dryden, Amphitryon; or, The Two Sosia’s. […], London: […] J[acob] Tonson, […]; and M. Tonson […], published 1691, →OCLC, Act II, scene ii, page 21

comparative more hoity-toity · superlative most hoity-toity · alternative hoitytoity · alternative hoity toity

1. obsoleteFlightily, giddily.
2. obsoleteMerrily, in a noisy manner.

   Then hoity, toity, / VVhiſking, friſking, / Green vvas her govvn upon the graſs: / Oh! ſuch vvere the joys of our dancing days.

   1762 December 8 (first performance), [Isaac Bickerstaffe], “Air XVIII”, in Love in a Village; a Comic Opera. […], 4th edition, London: […] W. Griffin; for J[ohn] Newbery, and W. Nicoll, […]; G[eorge] Kearsley, […]; T[homas] Davies, […]; and J. Walter, […], published 1763, →OCLC, Act II, scene iii, page 30

alternative hoitytoity · alternative hoity toity

1. datedobsoleteExpressing disapprobation or surprise at acts or words that are pompous or snobbish, or flighty.

   ‘Hoity! toity!’ cries Honour, ‘Madam is in her Airs, I proteſt.[…]’

   1749, Henry Fielding, “Containing Scenes of Altercation, of No Very Uncommon Kind”, in The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling, volume III, London: A[ndrew] Millar, […], →OCLC, book VII, page 59

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   Hoity toity, VVhat have I to do vvith his Dreams or his Divination—Body o' me, this is a Trick to defer Signing the Conveyance.

   1695, [William] Congreve, Love for Love: A Comedy. […], London: […] Jacob Tonson, […], →OCLC, Act III, scene x, page 46

   VVhy, here is nothing in the vvorld in this houſe but catter-vvavvling from morning till night, nothing but catter-vvavvling. Hoity toity! vvho have vve here?

   1762 December 8 (first performance), [Isaac Bickerstaffe], Love in a Village; a Comic Opera. […], 4th edition, London: […] W. Griffin; for J[ohn] Newbery, and W. Nicoll, […]; G[eorge] Kearsley, […]; T[homas] Davies, […]; and J. Walter, […], published 1763, →OCLC, Act II, scene ii, page 26

   "I have some reason to fear," interrupted Nicholas, "that before you leave here my career with you will have closed." […] "Why, he don't mean to say he's going!" exclaimed Mrs. Grudden, making her way towards Mrs. Crummles. "Hoity toity! nonsense."

   1838 March – 1839 October, Charles Dickens, “Of the Proceedings of Nicholas, and Certain Internal Divisions in the Company of Mrs. Vincent Crummles”, in The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby, London: Chapman and Hall, […], published 1839, →OCLC, page 478

   "Hoity-toity!" said the Chrysanthemum, "what is this? Who is it? Where is it?" So she had to come out from under the holly; and the young trees gathered round her, fussing and twittering, and asked each other what they had better do. It was very puzzing for them—because no such thing had ever happened before, as a Human Child in the Gardens on a winter night.

   1929 November, May Byron, chapter II, in J. M. Barrie’s Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens: Retold for Little People […], London: Hodder and Stoughton, published 1958, →OCLC, part II (The Little House in Kensington Gardens), page 70