#5: Artsy-Fartsy

Definition:

: pretentiously artistic

About the Word:

One of the interesting things about reduplicative phrases in English is that they appear with regularity throughout the ages, and are not restricted to any one period of language. We've been coming up with silly-sounding rhymes for hundreds of years now, and show no signs of getting tired of them, as artsy-fartsy (which begins to appear in the early 1960s) shows.

Example:

"The pressing question is: What will become of the Bellevilloises — the working-class immigrants — as more artsy-fartsy young French flock to the neighborhood?” — Jody Rosen, The New York Times, 20 May 2007