ado
/əˈduː
/noun [mass noun]
1A state of agitation or fuss: this is much ado about almost nothing...
- ‘Much ado about nothing’ was her reaction to the furore that followed her son's admission late on Thursday that the reports were true.
- Much ado has been made of this, and more ado will be made of it up to the opening bell.
- The new EEC was still considered peripheral, termed ‘much ado about nothing’ by Conservative Foreign Secretary Selwyn Lloyd.
Synonyms
fuss, trouble, bother, upset, agitation, commotion, stir, hubbub, confusion, excitement, tumult, disturbance, hurly-burly, uproar, flurry, to-do, palaver, rigmarole, brouhaha, furore;
North American fuss and feathers;
Indian tamasha
informal hassle, hoo-ha, ballyhoo, hoopla, rumpus, flap, tizz, tizzy, stew, song and dance, performance, pantomime
British informal carry-on, kerfuffle
1.1 dated Trouble or difficulty: I hastened there without delay or ado...
- Five of us struggled, there was no manual apparent but after much ado it was removed… second problem, where does one store the top half of a car?
- With much ado, he places a mirror in front of him so he can see what is going on behind.
- Like all people who inwardly value themselves and have confidence in their abilities, they go about their lives without much ado, usually achieving whatever goals they set for themselves.
Phrases
what's ado
without further (or more) ado
Origin
Late Middle English (originally in the sense 'action, business'): from northern Middle English at do 'to do', from Old Norse at (used to mark an infinitive) and do1.
affair from Middle English:
This is from Old French à faire ‘to do’. The history of the English word ado is parallel to that of affair. It comes from Old Norse at and do. This parallel between at do and to do can be seen in the sense that ‘fuss’ is apparent in the phrases without more ado and what a to do!