cockamamie
Americanadjective
adjective
Etymology
Origin of cockamamie
Probably earlier than 1940–45, in its original sense, “paper strip with an image which could be transferred to the skin when moistened,” apparently alteration of decalcomania; the current sense “ridiculous” probably by association with cock-and-bull story, poppycock, etc.
Explanation
Anything cockamamie is ridiculous and far-fetched. A cockamamie plan is not likely to work. This is a silly-sounding word for things that are silly, ludicrous, foolish, and impractical. Faking your own kidnapping to get out of a math test is a cockamamie plan. Wearing a fake mustache everywhere for no reason is cockamamie. Lots of comedies involve cockamamie plans and schemes, where the characters are trying to do something bizarre and unlikely to work. A cockamamie idea is the opposite of a practical, logical idea.
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.
There are the shamefaced former members, who confess their gullibility as a kind of penance; there are the cockamamie claims on which the belief system is based.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 28, 2026
Fitting, given that anything more than one foot in front of her would be invisible beneath the shadow of her cockamamie chapeau.
From Salon • Jan. 21, 2025
Rather than take on Cannon’s cockamamie assignment, Smith laid out accurate jury instructions based on the actual charges and law.
From Seattle Times • Apr. 4, 2024
I’m a mere critic, not a network pinhead, as David Letterman referred to executives who made these kinds of decisions, but that doesn’t mean I can’t dream up cockamamie ideas.
From New York Times • Mar. 22, 2023
“Then Garrison planned this cockamamie game without consulting me. You know what he said when I called him on it?”
From "Book Scavenger" by Jennifer Chambliss Bertman
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.
