different between cliffhanger vs blockbuster

English

Alternative forms

• cliff hanger, cliff-hanger

Etymology

From cliff +? hanger, evoking the image of someone left hanging from a cliff, thereby having an uncertain fate.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /?kl?f?hæ?.?(?)/

Noun

cliffhanger (plural cliffhangers)

1. (narratology) An ending or stopping point calculated to leave a story unresolved, in order to create suspense.
   • 2007, Hilary Hylton, "Filming Texas in a Good Light," Time, 2 Jul.:

     Back in the early 80s, the hit series Dallas kept the nation guessing with its season-ending cliffhanger "Who Shot J.R.?"

2. (by extension) An outcome which is awaited with keen anticipation, especially one which is delayed for a period of time or which is not known until the last minute.
   • 2008, Timothy Garton Ash, "Russia has run rings round the west," Guardian (UK), 28 Feb. (retrieved 2 Feb. 2009):

     This presidential election is such a cliffhanger. Will it be the rising star Dmitry "Obamovich" Medvedev? Or the veteran Gennady "McCainovich" Zyuganov?

Antonyms

• anticlimax

Derived terms

• cliffhang

Related terms

• cliffhanging

Translations

See also

• cliffhanger on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
• Dangler (plot device) on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

English

Etymology

block +? buster

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?bl?k?b?st?(?)/

Noun

blockbuster (plural blockbusters)

1. A high-explosive bomb used for the purposes of demolishing extensive areas, such as a city block.
2. (informal) Something, such as a film or book, that sustains exceptional and widespread popularity and achieves enormous sales, as opposed to a box office bomb.
3. (slang) Anything very large or powerful; a whopper.
   • 1998, Yves Beauchemin, The Second Fiddle (page 383)

     “How nice," she responded to his invitation, “but I've got a blockbuster of a headache. I'm paying for last night. Call me tomorrow, will you?"

4. A large firework of the firecracker type; an M-80.
5. (US) One who engages in blockbusting (technique encouraging people to sell property).
   • 2016, Sabiyha Prince, African Americans and Gentrification in Washington, D.C. (page 106)

     Whereas White residents fell prey to blockbusters who stoked fears of invading Negroes and plummeting housing values during the 1950s, African Americans confronted more-than-imagined difficulties in neighborhoods after the 1968 riots.

Descendants

Translations

Related terms

• blockbust (verb form)
• block
• bust

Catalan

Etymology

From English blockbuster.

Noun

blockbuster m (plural blockbusters)

1. blockbuster (film or book that sustains exceptional and widespread popularity and achieves enormous sales)

French

Etymology

From English blockbuster.

Pronunciation

Noun

blockbuster m (plural blockbusters)

1. blockbuster (film or book that sustains exceptional and widespread popularity and achieves enormous sales)

Portuguese

Etymology

From English blockbuster.

Noun

blockbuster m (plural blockbusters)

1. blockbuster (film or book that sustains exceptional and widespread popularity and achieves enormous sales)

Further reading

• “blockbuster” in Dicionário Priberam da Língua Portuguesa.

Spanish

Etymology

From English blockbuster.

Noun

blockbuster m (plural blockbusters)

1. blockbuster (film or book that sustains exceptional and widespread popularity and achieves enormous sales)

   Synonyms: taquillazo, bombazo