fudge1
- a soft candy made of sugar, butter, milk, chocolate, and sometimes nuts.
Origin of fudge1
fudge2
- nonsense or foolishness (often used as an interjection).
- to talk nonsense.
Origin of fudge2
fudge3
- to cheat or welsh (often followed by on): to fudge on an exam; to fudge on one's campaign promises.
- to avoid coming to grips with something: to fudge on an issue.
- to exaggerate a cost, estimate, etc., in order to allow leeway for error.
- to avoid coming to grips with (a subject, issue, etc.); evade; dodge: to fudge a direct question.
- a small stereotype or a few lines of specially prepared type, bearing a newspaper bulletin, for replacing a detachable part of a page plate without the need to replate the entire page.
- the bulletin thus printed, often in color.
- a machine or attachment for printing such a bulletin.
Origin of fudge3
Related Words
overstatefalsifyevadeexaggeratedodgeshufflemagnifycoloravoidslantembellishpatchstallpadhedgeequivocateembroiderExamples from the Web for fudge
Contemporary Examples
Rather, I'm just incensed by those who fudge its ability beyond all recognition.
Note to Drivers: All Wheel Drive Does Not Give You Superpowers, Just a Dangerous OverconfidenceMegan McArdle
March 12, 2013
But what I suspect he was trying to fudge before the residency panel was, indeed, his residency.
The religious messages in the April holidays are pointed, unequivocal, impossible to fudge.
If any politician could be trusted not to fudge their mileage, it would be “Honest Abe.”
Democrats, who sense military misgivings, try to fudge the differences in order to ingratiate themselves.
Historical Examples
Clayton knew it very well, and the trick of examining the books was all a fudge.
“Oh, fudge on the judges,” Langford exclaimed in affected disgust.
Campfire Girls at Twin LakesStella M. Francis
There was to be fudge, too, which Nancy had the knack of making.
A Little Miss NobodyAmy Bell Marlowe
I don't call this fudge; what I mean by fudge is, outside without inside.
Loss and GainJohn Henry Newman
So we stopped at the store, and she's loaded me down with stuff for fudge.
The Little Colonel's Christmas VacationAnnie Fellows Johnston
fudge1
- a soft variously flavoured sweet made from sugar, butter, cream, etc
Word Origin
fudge2
- foolishness; nonsense
- a mild exclamation of annoyance
- (intr) to talk foolishly or emptily
Word Origin
fudge3
- a small section of type matter in a box in a newspaper allowing late news to be included without the whole page having to be remade
- the box in which such type matter is placed
- the late news so inserted
- a machine attached to a newspaper press for printing this
- an unsatisfactory compromise reached to evade a difficult problem or controversial issue
- (tr) to make or adjust in a false or clumsy way
- (tr) to misrepresent; falsify
- to evade (a problem, issue, etc); dodge; avoid
Word Origin
Word Origin and History for fudge
v.
"put together clumsily or dishonestly," 1610s, perhaps an alteration of fadge "make suit, fit" (1570s), of unknown origin. As an interjection meaning "lies, nonsense" from 1766; the noun meaning "nonsense" is 1791. It could be a natural extension from the verb. But Farmer suggests provincial French fuche, feuche, "an exclamation of contempt from Low German futsch = begone."
The traditional English story traces fudge in this sense to a sailor's retort to anything considered lies or nonsense, from Captain Fudge, "who always brought home his owners a good cargo of lies" [Isaac Disraeli, 1791, citing a pamphlet from 1700]. It seems there really was a late 17c. Captain Fudge, called "Lying Fudge," and perhaps his name reinforced this form of fadge in the sense of "contrive without the necessary materials." The surname is from Fuche, a pet form of the masc. proper name Fulcher, from Germanic and meaning literally "people-army."
n.
type of confection, 1895, American English, apparently a word first used among students at women's colleges; perhaps a special use of fudge (v.).
'He lies,' answered Lord Etherington, 'so far as he pretends I know of such papers. I consider the whole story as froth -- foam, fudge, or whatever is most unsubstantial. ...' [Scott, "St. Ronan's Well," 1823]