Spruiks

Part of speech: verb, noun

Definitions

1. To promote or advertise something in an enthusiastic manner
2. to speak about a particular product or service in a way that excites interest
3. to extol the virtues of an idea or proposition to persuade others

Etymology: "Spruik" is one of those Australian words that seems to have crossed oceans in a soldier's kitbag. It is first recorded in the late 1890s and early 1900s, and its spelling has stayed fixed since then. The likeliest source is Afrikaans, brought back to Australia by soldiers returning from the Boer War, though the exact route is not certain. The word's ancestry is probably Germanic, with close relatives in Dutch: "spraak" (speech), "spreek" (speak), "spreuk" (saying), and "sprook," which can mean a story, a fiction, or even a false idea. The unusual "ui" spelling is one of the clues pointing toward Afrikaans or Dutch rather than English. The word's modern sense, to harangue a crowd or talk up a scheme with enthusiasm, grew out of its origins as a street-trader's patter. Its spelling has kept that foreign flavour ever since.

Synonyms: promotes, advertises, endorses, publicizes

Antonyms: conceals, hides, withholds