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.
We could just call this an absolute load of utter codswallop and tosh, but let's take a minute and really unpack Graham's sales pitch here.
From Salon • Sep. 15, 2022
But Ginsburg and Gorsuch were the only two justices who seemed convinced that the dual sovereignty exception is constitutional codswallop.
From Slate • Dec. 6, 2018
That's partly because the lyrics lack the ferocity and fervent belief that makes roots reggae gripping and moving even if you think the ideas that inform it are a load of codswallop.
From The Guardian • Apr. 18, 2013
The Fiver harks back to days of yore when press conferences didn't consist of disingenuous codswallop, if ever such a time existed.
From The Guardian • Aug. 17, 2012
That’s a load of codswallop* I give you the dictionary so you’ll know the world better, son.
From "Booked" by Kwame Alexander
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.
