argle-bargle
Americannoun
noun
Etymology
Origin of argle-bargle
1870–75; reduplication of argle, variant of argue
Explanation
Argle-bargle is meaningless nonsense. If you ask a politician and she responds in a confusing, absurd way, you can say her answer is nothing but argle-bargle. It's more common to hear the word argle-bargle in Britain than in the US, but wherever you are, it's a great way to refer to gibberish or foolish talk. You can also use the word to mean an argument or a quarrel. Argle-bargle comes from the 1580s word argle, "to argue obstinately," which might be a combination of argue and haggle. The variation argy-bargy comes from a Scottish rhyme.
Vocabulary lists containing argle-bargle
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The court filing is full of techno argle-bargle that would cause the eyes of even the most enthusiastic programmer to glaze over, much less the average journalist.
From Salon ● Feb. 16, 2022
“We will not rely on hyperbolic statements about the end of the internet as we know it, and 140-character argle-bargle, but rather on the data,” Mr. Pai said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 18, 2017
He then lapsed into the bureaucratic argle-bargle by which government officials try to communicate.
From Washington Times ● Jul. 27, 2015
All this theorizing may sound like so much argle-bargle.
From Slate ● Feb. 3, 2015
After much argle-bargle Europe decided to accept the fait accompli in Bosnia, and not to reassemble the signatory Powers.
From Twenty Years Of Balkan Tangle by Durham, M. E. (Mary Edith)
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
