baity

English

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈbeɪti/
• Rhymes: -eɪti

Etymology 1

From bait (“fit of anger”) +‎ -y.

Alternative forms

• batey

Adjective

baity (comparative more baity, superlative most baity)

1. (British, dated, slang) Angry, bad-tempered.
   • 1907 August 17, The Rev. A. N. Malan, “The Mystery of Abbeyside School”, in The Boy's Own Paper, volume XXIX, number 1492, London: Religious Tract Society, page 4:

     “Oh, sir—uncle is such a batey old chap. It was a spree! I never saw him so mad!”

   • 1936, Aldous Huxley, Eyeless in Gaza, London: Chatto & Windus, page 55:

     ‘If Jimbug gets baity with me, like that time last week . . .’ Remembering the scene, Anthony frowned; the blood came up into his cheeks.

   • 1987 September 24, Richard Curtis, Ben Elton, “Ink and Incapability” (11:46 from the start), in Mandie Fletcher, director, Blackadder the Third (television production), via BBC1:

     Blackadder: Baldrick, where's the manuscript? / Baldrick: You mean the big papery thing tied up with string? / Blackadder: Yes, Baldrick, the manuscript belonging to Dr Johnson. / Baldrick: You mean the baity fellow in the black coat who just left?

   • 2011 January 18, Lord Strathclyde (Leader of the House of Lords), “Parliamentary Voting System and Constituencies Bill”, in parliamentary debates (House of Lords)‎^[1], column 314:

     I welcome the offer made by the noble and learned Lord to discuss and to negotiate. If only he had done that at the beginning of November when I talked to him about the number of days that we should sit; but the noble and learned Lord got batey with me when I suggested that we should negotiate.

Etymology 2

From bait (“something alluring”) +‎ -y.

Adjective

baity (comparative more baity, superlative most baity)

1. (informal) Constituting bait (something intended to allure), especially Oscar bait or clickbait.
   • 2013 August 23, Catherine Shoard, “Oscar predictions 2014: Foxcatcher”, in The Guardian‎^[2]:

     Could it be almost too baity? It's ticking almost every Academy Award box going.

   • 2015 December 20, Junglist [Jeremy Ray], “Check Out A Brand New Dark Souls 3 Boss In Action (Spoiler)”, in Kotaku Australia‎^[3]:

     Ignore the baity headline on the IGN video, it’s not the “craziest Souls boss yet” (bloody internet hyperbole), but it’s still cool […]

   • 2020 June 18, James Poulter, “The Far-Right Plot to Flood Radio Airwaves with Racism”, in Vice‎^[4]:

     A far-right talking point had been turned into a clip with a baity headline, and attracted over 26,000 views.

See also

• click-baity
• Oscar-baity
• race-baity
• rage-baity

 

Further reading

• Jonathon Green (2024) “batey adj.”, in Green’s Dictionary of Slang