blarney
[ blahr-nee ]
/ ˈblɑr ni /
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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
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. 2021
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.