Standard Lemma guide
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
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noun
A person who works in a carnival (often one who uses exaggerated showmanship or fraud).
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, informal
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Synonyms: showie
Antonyms: none provided
noun
The jargon used by carnival workers.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: uncountable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
A carnival.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, informal
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Flattery.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: dialectal
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Synonyms: blandishment, sycophancy, carny, flattery, incense, adulation, ass-kissing, ass-licking, gloze, hoomalimali, soft sawder, sooth
Antonyms: none provided
verb
To cajole, wheedle, or coax.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: dialectal
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Synonyms: butter up, inveigle, sweet-talk, blandander, blandish, cajole, fast-talk, canoodle, carny, coax, collogue, croodle, engle, fleech, honey around, honey up, hum, ingle, soap, soft-sawder, soft-soap, stroke, tweedle, twist, wheedle, whilly, word
Antonyms: none provided
History
Clipping of carnival + -y (“diminutive, hypocoristic suffix”).
Of unknown origin.
Across languages
8 source translations are retained for this English entry.
