Ballyhoo - A Word, A Game, A Pinball Machine, A Band, What Else ...

Many many many moons ago I posted about a parlour game that 'we' invented called Ballyhoo - go check it out: 

A game for 4-8 honest adults. The game is best enjoyed with good friends but is also an excellent introduction vehicle for new people joining the circle. Fine wine, good food and a roaring fire have been known to assist with the play.

The name of the game, "Ballyhoo", came from Maxi along with the rules, and she couldn't remember why it was called that, it just was.

I had a recollection of "ballyhoo" being something Irish, something along the lines of describing a good night, something raucous, maybe insurgent ... you know, a goings-on. And whaddya know, it is, this from Webster:

Definition of BALLYHOO
plural ballyhoos 

1 : a noisy attention-getting demonstration or talk
2 : flamboyant, exaggerated, or sensational promotion or publicity
3 : excited commotion 

— ballyhoo transitive verb

Hah, 2 meanings.
And then I was listening to a cracking podcast, Pessimists Archive, I can't recommend this highly enough:

Highlighting technophobia, alarmism, protectionism and puritanism of the past. The best antidote to fear of the new is looking back at fear of the old.

In my ear holes came Episode 10: Pinball

Talk about where pinball machines came from and then the first "real" pinball machine was made by a company called Bally (you can see where this is going eh) ... and they called it the Ballyhoo

Oh, and the video says the pinball game was directly named from a humour magazine, Ballyhoo.
Hah, 4 meanings ... so of course I am now intrigued, and off to Google I tootle. The only other 'meaning' I can find is for a band named after our word d'jour

a rock, pop, punk, and reggae band from Aberdeen, Maryland. 

Ballyhoo:

• A Word,
• A Game,
• A Pinball Machine,
• A humour Magazine,
• A Band,
• what else ...

And so I will leave you in Ballyhoo!'s capable hands