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blarney

[ blahr-nee ]
/ ˈblɑr ni /
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See synonyms for: blarney / blarneyed / blarneying on Thesaurus.com
noun
flattering or wheedling talk; cajolery.
deceptive or misleading talk; nonsense; hooey: a lot of blarney about why he was broke.
verb (used with or without object), blar·neyed, blar·ney·ing.
to flatter or wheedle; use blarney: He blarneys his boss with the most shameless compliments.
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Origin of blarney

First recorded in 1760–70; after the hamlet Blarney, in Ireland; see Blarney stone

Words nearby blarney

Blanqui, blanquillo, Blantyre, Blantyre-Limbe, blare, blarney, Blarney stone, blart, Blasco Ibáñez, blasé, blaspheme
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Words related to blarney

adulation, baloney, blandishment, cajolery, coaxing, compliments, exaggeration, eyewash, fawning, honey, incense, ingratiation, oil, overpraise, wheedling, a line, inveiglement, soft soap, sweet-talk

How to use blarney in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for blarney

blarney
/ (ˈblɑːnɪ) /
noun
flattering talk
verb
to cajole with flattery; wheedle

Word Origin for blarney

C19: after the Blarney Stone
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

Cultural definitions for blarney

blarney

Smooth, flattering talk, often nonsensical or deceptive. Based on an Irish legend that those who kiss the Blarney Stone will become skilled in flattery.

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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