Question

hoity-toity adjective Today we most often use "hoity-toity" as an adjective, but before it was an adjective it was a noun meaning "thoughtless giddy behavior." The noun, which first appeared in print in 1668, was probably created as a singsongy rhyme based on the dialectal English word "hoit," meaning "to play the fool." The adjective "hoity-toity" can stay close to its roots and mean "foolish" (". . . as though it were very hoity-toity of me not to know that royal personage." -- W. Somerset Maugham, The Razor’s Edge), but in current use it more often means "pretentious."

Accepted Answer

May 8, 2010 hoy-tee-TOY-tee "I’m a simple man with down-home values," said Ray. "You won’t catch me hanging out with the hoity-toity crowd at trendy art galleries or chichi nightclubs."

Word	hoity-toity
Date	May 8, 2010
Type	adjective
Syllables	hoy-tee-TOY-tee
Etymology	Today we most often use "hoity-toity" as an adjective, but before it was an adjective it was a noun meaning "thoughtless giddy behavior." The noun, which first appeared in print in 1668, was probably created as a singsongy rhyme based on the dialectal English word "hoit," meaning "to play the fool." The adjective "hoity-toity" can stay close to its roots and mean "foolish" (". . . as though it were very hoity-toity of me not to know that royal personage." -- W. Somerset Maugham, The Razor’s Edge), but in current use it more often means "pretentious."
Examples	"I’m a simple man with down-home values," said Ray. "You won’t catch me hanging out with the hoity-toity crowd at trendy art galleries or chichi nightclubs."

Hoity Toity Adjective Meaning Hoy Tee Toy Tee Today Noun Thoughtless Giddy