Meaning of "fugazi"

[kilroy65]

I’ve been genuinely interested in this word since I first heard it in a song performed by a British band in 1984:


“Do you realise, this world is totally fugazi…” (Marillion, album: “Fugazi”)


Only a few dictionaries define “fugazi” and they assign so many different meanings to it that I’m not even sure what it really stands for.


When I checked Google Ngram Viewer, I was surprised to see that it is used quite extensively:
https://books.google.com/ngrams/grap...fugazi%3B%2Cc0


Is that really the case, and if so, what is the most common meaning of “fugazi” these days?

[GoesStation]

The n-gram viewer adjusts its vertical axis to make the data curve visible. The maximum y-axis value of the "fugazi" n-gram is 0.0000000500% or in round numbers, zero. If you add a common word -- I picked "psychology" -- the maximum shoots up to 0.00300%. "Psychology" is 60,000 times more common than "fugazi". In fact, the latter word doesn't shift the curve above zero when the two are plotted together. The big spike in the curve for "fugazi" alone could represent just a handful of publications.

I almost forgot to mention this: as far as I can remember, today is the first time I've ever seen that word.

[Piscean]

When I checked Google Ngram Viewer, I was surprised to see that it is used quite extensively:

You have to be careful to look at what the vertical scale represents when you check a single word with Ngram, Fugazi ​is actually very uncommon indeed when compared with other f***ked up acronyms: Ngram.

This seems to be as good an explanation as any: https://www.acronymfinder.com/Fouled...-(FUGAZI).html

(cross-posted with GoesStation)

[kilroy65]

Yes, of course you're right! I should have noticed that!

[GoesStation]

It's all right: you're an English teacher, not a statistician.

Actually I think everyone working with charts and numbers should be conversant with the right way to use them. Sadly for me, many of them are not, so I suffer frequent disappointment. And of course, we all make mistakes on Internet forums. I myself make them regularly, if only to know what it feels like.

[charliedeut]

http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=fugazi

Note that they also accept the spelling with a final ​-y.