balderdash
[ bawl-der-dash ]
/ ˈbɔl dərˌdæʃ /
noun
senseless, stupid, or exaggerated talk or writing; nonsense.
Obsolete. a muddled mixture of liquors.
RELATED WORDS
jargon, crock, claptrap, rot, bunk, tripe, rigmarole, drivel, moonshine, poppycock, bull, malarkey, fustian, trash, fudge, twaddle, flummery, bosh
Nearby words
- bald-faced,
- bald-faced hornet,
- baldachin,
- baldad,
- balder,
- baldhead,
- baldheaded,
- baldie,
- balding,
- baldmoney
Origin of balderdash
First recorded in 1590–1600; of obscure origin
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for balderdash
balderdash
/ (ˈbɔːldəˌdæʃ) /
noun
stupid or illogical talk; senseless rubbish
Word Origin for balderdash
C16: of unknown origin
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
balderdash
1590s, of unknown origin; originally a jumbled mix of liquors (milk and beer, beer and wine, etc.), transferred 1670s to "senseless jumble of words." From dash; first element perhaps cognate with Danish balder "noise, clatter" (cf. boulder).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper