the.com/bravado
Confidence that's renting the building, not holding the deed.
means A show of boldness or confidence that's meant to impress or intimidate, often masking fear or doubt underneath.
from Borrowed into English from Spanish 'bravada' (and reinforced by French 'bravade'), both rooted in 'bravo' meaning brave or bold — the same root that gives English 'brave.' The swagger of the word has always been inseparable from performance: it entered English in the 1500s-1600s already carrying that whiff of theater, of courage worn like a costume rather than grown like a spine.
- origin
- from spanish bravado, meaning bravery, or boast
- tell
- loudest in the room, shakiest underneath
- opposite
- quiet competence that never needs an audience
- cousin
- swagger, its less insecure sibling