codswallop
Americannoun
noun
Etymology
Origin of codswallop
First recorded in 1960–65; origin obscure
Explanation
Codswallop is nonsense or silliness. If you're hoping for an A on your paper, it's disappointing to get a D and a note from your teacher saying, "This is a bunch of codswallop!" Codswallop is a colorful, informal way to describe something that's utterly ridiculous, especially a written or spoken statement you find absurd. A movie critic might describe a big-budget monstrosity as codswallop, and a haughty older brother might dismiss everything his younger sister says as "Nothing but codswallop." The word is primarily British, and it's been around since about 1960. Its origin isn't certain, but it may come from wallop, slang for "beer."
Vocabulary lists containing codswallop
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
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Booked
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Prairie Lotus
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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.
“Some say he died. Codswallop, in my opinion. Dunno if he had enough human left in him to die. Some say he’s still out there, bidin’ his time, like, but I don’ believe it.
From "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" by J.K. Rowling
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.
