Reduplicatives And Their Meanings

Reduplicatives And Their Meanings Reduplicatives And Their Meanings Reduplicatives And Their Meanings By Sharon After my recent post on reduplicatives, Jaguar asked for definitions of the terms in the post. Of course, now Im wishing that I hadnt included quite so many examples, but here goes: Repeating reduplicatives: ack-ack anti aircraft fireaye-aye yes (often used by seamen)bang-bang sound of a gunberiberi disease caused by vitamin B deficiencybonbon a sweetboo-boo a blunderbye-bye goodbyecha-cha Latin ballroom dancechoo-choo train, or sound of the trainchop chop quickly (from pidgin English)froufrou elaborate (usually of a dress)goody goody someone virtuous or smugha-ha the sound of laughterhush hush confidentialmuumuu loose, bright Hawaiian dressnight-night goodnightno-no forbiddenpapa fatherpawpaw papaya Rhyming reduplicatives: airy-fairy unrealistic; light and delicateargy-bargy verbal disputeartsy-fartsy pretentiously artistic (also arty-farty)boo hoo crying soundboogie-woogie piano jazz stylebow-wow the sound of a dogeasy-peasy very easyfuddy-duddy conservative or dull personhanky-panky suspicious behaviourheebie-jeebies nervousnesshelter-skelter haphazardhiggledy-piggledy muddledhocus-pocus trickery; a magicians incantationhodge-podge a confused mixturehoity-toity haughtyitsy-bitsy tinyjeepers creepers exclamation of surprisemumbo-jumbo derogatory reference to a religious or spiritual ritualnamby-pamby feeble, weaknitty gritty the factsokey-dokey OKsuper-duper very pleasingwilly-nilly whether its wanted or not Vowel change reduplicatives: chit-chat gossipy talkclip clop sound of a horses hoovescriss-cross a pattern of lines that cross each otherdilly-dally to loiterding-dong the sound of a bellflim-flam foolishnessflip-flop this has several meanings, including a backward somersaut and a sandal with a piece between the toeship-hop type of musicknick-knack trinketmish-mash a confused mixtureping pong table tennispitter-patter a light, tapping soundriff-raff rabble; people who are worthlessriprap broken stones on water used to protect riverbankssee-saw a piece of wood with a central balance which allows it to move up and downshilly-shally to hesitatetick tock sound of a clocktittle-tattle chat, gossipzigzag sharp turns in alterating directions Phew! That took some doing. The definitions are from the Collins English Dictionary, and Ive tried to stick to the most common ones. Enjoy1 Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Vocabulary category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:The Yiddish Handbook: 40 Words You Should KnowStory Writing 101Glimpse and Glance: Same or Different?