n.

1. The act of commending.

2. Something, especially an official award or citation, that commends.

n

1. the act or an instance of commending; praise

2. an award

(See also FLATTERY.)

blurb A short, often witty, advertisement or laudatory recommendation; a descriptive paragraph on a book jacket; a squib or plug. The American humorist and illustrator F. Gelett Burgess (1866-1951) coined the term in 1907 when he humorously dubbed the alluring woman adorning a comic book jacket Miss Blinda Blurb. Today, the term is commonly applied to short radio and television advertisements as well as to the descriptive paragraphs on book jackets.

hats off A command to pay respect; a cheer or call to honor or salute a person, a noble ideal, etc. This expression dates from the mid-19th century and is said to derive from the custom of removing one’s hat as a sign of respect or deference.

“Hats off to them.” “Yes, of course. Hats off to all the dead.” (M. Farhi, Pleasure of Your Death, 1972)

See also cap in hand, DEFERENCE.

praise from Sir Hubert The highest compliment; the greatest possible praise. This expression, now languishing in oblivion, originated in Thomas Morton’s comedy A Cure for the Heartache (1797):

Approbation from Sir Hubert Stanley is praise indeed.

take one’s hat off to To recognize the preeminent achievements of another; to praise or extol the superlative accomplishments of another. This common expression is derived from the custom of removing one’s hat as a sign of respect.

We should take off our hats to them and wish them godspeed. (Harper’s Magazine, June, 1886)