foofaraw

noun

1. (informal)Overly excessive or flashy ornamentation or decoration.

   “The thumping bands, the badges, the pretty girls and all the time-honored foofaraw failed to charge up the Republican batteries to the sparking point. The great engine just would not turn over — at the start.”

   “Yes, there’s a romance at the center of the episode, though it’s just as much of a red herring as the layers of futuristic foofaraw.”

2. (informal)Fuss over something of little importance.

   “In the whole foofaraw around Napster, what mostly got lost was the artists. They are the Belgians of this controversy, trampled by armies heading someplace else.”

   “Lillian was therefore determined to keep dancing for as long as humanly possible. When Ngo fell into step beside her, she turned a corner hard enough to cut the lockstep short. When Ngo re-emerged to the fore, Lillian swung back aft. Once, she opened a door in the psychiatrist's face. Twice she walked directly into a crowd — into them, not among them, momentarily losing her pursuer in the resultant foofarah.”