BOMBASTIC
A bombastic person is one who uses inflated and high-sounding language, hut tlie word really means cotton waddin.t?. Centuries ago people wore padded or <jnil(ed clothing, as we may see iri historical pictures of the Tudor period, and the favourite material for stuffing garments and making them influ'ted and important was this cotton wadding. ihe name of which was bombast, from tin- Latin bombax, cotton. By an amusing' transfer of meaning a. person who uses "great swelling words,” as the Bible calls them, in order to make himself appear important, is said to be bombastic; that is, he stuffs his language as men stuffed their clothes.
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https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/NEM19290727.2.35
Bibliographic details
Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXIII, 27 July 1929, Page 5
Word Count
107BOMBASTIC Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXIII, 27 July 1929, Page 5
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