Looking for a word...

Factual Questions
1

Around here people use a word that phonetically sounds like “hi zoot”. Based on context, this is supposed to mean something with lots of bells and whistles and essentially top of the line.

I’ve tried to find the correct spelling of this word but all I can find is hirsute which I’m quite sure is not what I’m after. Thesaurus entries for “first-class”, “first-rate”, “grand”, etc. don’t seem to have a word close to one sounding like the one I’m after.

If everyone around here saying something they don’t really think they’re saying or does anyone know how to spell the word I am after?

2

Where are you?

3

Where is “around here”? Your location might be a clue to solving this mystery.

4

The French word for high is ‘haute’. I wonder if it might be a corrupted French phrase.

5

I’m in Oregon of the US.

It is not “haute” because the word I’m hearing definitely has 2 syllables and I hear haute with just one, but I suppose it could be corrupted from that.

6

High falutin’? I know it’s a lot of syllables but it can be slurred together.

7

I agree that “high falutin” describes such a thing. Are you sure it sounds like “hi ZOOT” and maybe not “hi FLOOT” (in which case I could definitley see it be a shortening of high falutin’)?

8

“Hi zoot” or more commonly “zoot factor” means something like top-of-the-line. I didn’t know that the term is more common among cyclists, but when I Googled “zoot factor” the most useful links that came up were cycling-related.

See if these quotes give you a sense for the meaning of the phrase:

“Then there are “supersteels” like Reynolds 853 or True Temper OX, or the high-zoot factor Columbus and Dedacciai tube sets.”

“Plain Jane(low zoot factor)”

“I ran across this sleek looking bar-stem set-up. I can’t figure out how the computer is exactly mounted, but in my eyes the “zoot factor” is way high. Looks like prime “dream bike” material to me.”

“What you miss in high zoot factor, you pick up in practicality and comfort.”

9

So, looks like you had the sense of the term from context already. :slight_smile:

10

I’m sure it isn’t high falutin.

I just asked a coworker how he thought the word would be spelled, and he said it is “high zoot”. He claims to have known of it for decades, so I guess I must have missed it all this time. A google search for that term does turn up lots of references, mostly concerning bicycle parts.

11

Back in the 40’s or early 50’s or so, there was a fashion suit called a “zoot suit.” See here for modern examples http://www.italsuit.com/home.php?cat=325&OVRAW=zoot&OVKEY=zoot&OVMTC=standard

The term does seem to be taken over by cyclists, but the original reference was to these suits, I believe.

12

SO is a bike-culture NW type, and he’s familiar with the term in terms of high-end, nifty techie parts.

13

The meaning is completely different, but are you perhaps thinking of ersatz?

14

I think I’ve found the answer in it being “high zoot”. All I can say is that I’m really glad it turned out to be that and not a misunderstanding of the word hirsute. Thanks for all the responses everyone.