fugazi

1 of 2

noun

fu·​ga·​zi fü-ˈgä-zē 

variants or less commonly fugazy

plural fugazis

1

slang : a person who makes false claims of identity or expertise : imposter, fraud

According to a source close to the program, "… It's all a facade. He's … a fugazi."

—Steven Corder

2

slang : something that is meant to trick or deceive people : sham, fake

The email saying I won a bunch of money was a total fugazi.

fugazi

2 of 2

adjective

variants or less commonly fugazy

slang

: not true, real, or genuine : bogus, false

Now granted, this is a fugazi spring. It's fake, it's a tease, it's not real. We all know it. And Sunday is going to roll around and smack us with a high of 36 degrees.

—Jeff Edelstein

There are now two problems with the contract, one of which was there from the moment the contract was signed. First, the $30 million is and always was fake, phony, fugazi …

—Mike Florio

Word History

Etymology

Noun

probably derivative of fugazi entry 2

Adjective

probably from the surname Fugazi or Fugazy, altered from the Italian surname Fugazzi

Note: It appears very likely that the adjective and noun fugazi/fugazy and the surname Fugazy are connected, but the nature of the connection is not entirely clear. The best known bearers of the surname are probably the Fugazy family of New York. Its founder, Luigi Vittorio Fugazzi (1839-1930)—he Americanized his name to Fugazy—was born in Santo Stefano d'Aveto, Liguria, Italy, and emigrated to New York City in 1869. He initiated, among other services for Italian-Americans, a travel agency and a bank in the South Village section of Greenwich Village. After his death the Fugazy Travel Bureau was maintained by one of Louis's sons, Italo Americo Fugazi (1885-1957), and subsequently expanded as a national franchiser, Fugazy International Travel, by Italo's son, William "Bill" Fugazy (1924-2015). Branching into transportation, Bill Fugazi opened Fugazy Continental, Inc., a limousine service in the New York City area, in 1967. It was well-known for its television commercials, which featured celebrities such as Bob Hope and Vic Damone. In 1973, the city's Consumer Affairs Commission filed a suit against Fugazy Continental for deceptive advertising (see New York Times, December 17, 1973, p. 41). It was claimed that the prices quoted in the commercials were inaccurate because they did not state that rates varied with the time taken to complete the trip. Was this the reason for the attachment of the meaning "bogus, false" to the name Fugazy? It is possible, though proof is lacking. The attempt to explain fugazi as a Vietnam War acronym from "fucked up, got ambushed, zipped in (a body bag)," is assuredly after the fact (i.e., a backronym).

First Known Use

Noun

1987, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adjective

1974, in the meaning defined above