pynchon-l-digest V2 #7267

[Dave Monroe]

On Mon, Nov 9, 2009 at 1:53 PM, Joe Allonby <joeallonby at gmail.com> wrote:

> An aside, possibly a digression: Was "A Confederacy of Dunces" the
> first recorded usage of 'bloviate'?

Main Entry: blo·vi·ate
Pronunciation: \ˈblō-vē-ˌāt\
Function: intransitive verb
Inflected Form(s): blo·vi·at·ed; blo·vi·at·ing
Etymology: perhaps irregular from blow
Date: circa 1879
: to speak or write verbosely and windily

— blo·vi·a·tion  \ˌblō-vē-ˈā-shən\ noun

http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bloviate