Bloviate is an interesting word, that appears to have arrived in the English language in 1850, and was popularised by US President Warren G. Harding. It means ‘to speak in an inflated or empty way’, and thus can be seen as a great oral skill of many politicians throughout history. To sound pompous and important and yet say nothing of substance is quite the art.
One of the ‘great’ modern bloviators is former UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson. This cold-hearted man hid his true persona behind a bumbling, rambling act, and he would distract attention from his callous policies and ineptitude by bloviating at length. This included some kind of Peppa Pig-based ramble at some sort of conference. That’s the level to which Johnson could bloviate, which is truly impressive, even by the standards set by politicians.
Of course, politicians aren’t the only ones who can bloviate. Business people are fully capable of giving meandering speeches and waffling on for the benefit of shareholders, employees and the like. It’s all about talking a good game, and sounding important, without actually saying anything of consequence, or saying what people want to hear. Truly, politicians have this down to a fine art.
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