falsetto fȯl-ˈse-(ˌ)tō noun and adjective
noun: a male singing voice with artificially high tones in an upper register
adjective: artificially high; above the normal voice range
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The word falsetto has appeared in 38 articles on NYTimes.com in the past year, including on Aug. 28 in the theater review “‘Kids in the Hall,’ Rehashed for Adults in a Theater” by Alexis Soloski:
There are tough houses, there are friendly houses and there are houses so freakishly primed for laughter that they actively guffaw at the turn-off-your-cellphone message. This was the house that greeted Kevin McDonald at the second performance of “Kevin McDonald: Alive on 42nd Street,” a solo show with what we’ll generously call music.
…. Backed by the unflappable guitarist John Wlaysewski (“I’m not the coolest guy in the world,” Mr. McDonald admits, “I’m not even the coolest guy onstage”), Mr. McDonald brays songs, with occasional reliance on a lyrics sheet, and spins stories, most of which relate to the early years of “Kids.” Then, Mr. McDonald was wild-eyed and wild-haired, ready to hurl himself into a role at maximum velocity. These days, the hair has beat a retreat and he mostly keeps to the speed limit. The eyes are still wild, though, and that voice — a high-pitched rasp that rises to a smoke-alarm falsetto — has endured. His maniacal, goofball energy sometimes flashes through.
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