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phony-baloney

American  
[foh-nee-buh-loh-nee] / ˈfoʊ ni bəˈloʊ ni /

noun

  1. nonsense; baloney.


adjective

  1. nonsensical; foolish.

Etymology

Origin of phony-baloney

First recorded in 1930–35


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.

See Examples For:

“The Boys” are back to give phony-baloney superheroes more of what for in a second season of this satirical action comedy.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 28, 2020

To move on from dance to another kind of musical performance, I didn’t click much at all with Her Smell, which I found to be pretty phony-baloney, despite Elisabeth Moss’ valiant efforts.

From Slate ● Dec. 25, 2019

Ideas are invoked but not fully developed: Jimmy pulls off a phony-baloney P.R. stunt; he gets into elder law and plans to sue an old-age home.

From The New Yorker ● Apr. 6, 2015

Some of the Dinar scams operate the same way: You don’t actually get any Dinars, but instead just a statement showing that you have Dinars or some sort of phony-baloney “Certificate” of ownership.

From Forbes ● Oct. 4, 2012

If it works out that we’re dealing with phony-baloney titles solely to satisfy protocol, then fine.

From Chicago Tribune ● Oct. 19, 2011

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