regard all this as codswallop. … The word, meaning ”nonsense,” is British English: as a slang synonym for rubbish, bosh, humbug, hogwash, tommyrot, tripe and drivel, the newer codswallop was observed in The Radio Times in 1963.
What does codswallop mean in Harry Potter?
Definition. British slang term for nonsense, untruths.
Is Tosh a swear word?
3. Tosh – “Nonsense” The word tosh is used to dismiss something as a bunch of nonsense. It’s used in the way that many speakers would use “baloney” or “poppycock”.
Does bloody mean the F word?
The word “bloody” is the expletive derived from shortening the expression “by our Lady” (i.e., Mary, mother of Christ). As such, it represents the invocation of a blasphemous oath.
Why do Brits say bloody?
Bloody. Don’t worry, it’s not a violent word… it has nothing to do with “blood”.”Bloody” is a common word to give more emphasis to the sentence, mostly used as an exclamation of surprise. Something may be “bloody marvellous” or “bloody awful“. Having said that, British people do sometimes use it when expressing anger…
Is kerfuffle a British word?
The definition of a kerfuffle is a British word for a state of confusion or disorder. An example of a kerfuffle is rushing around to find important papers before a big presentation. A disorderly outburst, disturbance, commotion or tumult. A to-do or fuss.
What does waffling mean in England?
verb (used without object), waf·fled, waf·fling. British. to talk foolishly or without purpose; idle away time talking.
What does the British term barking mean?
(British slang) Short for barking mad. … He’s going to run the marathon in this hot weather dressed as Donald Duck – he must be barking!
What does tenterhooks mean in English?
The phrase “on tenterhooks” means “waiting nervously for something to happen.” A tenterhook is literally a sharp hook that fastens cloth to a tenter, a frame on which cloth is stretched, like a tent, for even drying to prevent shrinkage. … Other property owners in the area remain on tenterhooks.
What does balderdash mean?
noun. senseless, stupid, or exaggerated talk or writing; nonsense. Obsolete. a muddled mixture of liquors.
Why do they call it poppycock?
According to several online sources—including the Merriam-Webster Dictionary—poppycock is a corruption of the Dutch word pappekak, a compound of pap, meaning “soft, chewed up food”, and kak, meaning, well, “cack”. … And on that basis it’s easy to see how the word came to describe something of little value.
What do the British call a nap?
nap, kip (British, slang), snooze, drowse, take forty winks (informal)
What does you’re waffling still mean?
to talk or write a lot without giving any useful information or any clear answers: If you don’t know the answer, it’s no good just waffling (on) for pages and pages.
Is waffle a real word?
Waffle is language without meaning; blathering, babbling, droning. One might waffle throughout an essay or a presentation, when not having enough material, or needing to fill in time. The term may be derived from the Scots verb waff “to wave, fluctuate”.
What is the most longest word?
Major dictionaries
The longest word in any of the major English language dictionaries is pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis, a word that refers to a lung disease contracted from the inhalation of very fine silica particles, specifically from a volcano; medically, it is the same as silicosis.
What is a Cattywampus?
Definition – askew, awry, kitty-corner. Cattywampus is a variant of catawampus, another example of grand 19th century American slang. In addition to “askew” catawampus may refer to “an imaginary fierce wild animal,” or may mean “savage, destructive.”
What does your full of malarkey mean?
: insincere or foolish talk : bunkum He thinks that everything politicians say is a bunch of malarkey.
Is Frick a bad word?
Frick isn’t a swear word. I know there are certain individuals who think c r a p is a swear word (even though it really isn’t), but “frick” isn’t a swear word by any sense of the meaning of “swear word”. No one is going to get offended by someone saying “frick”.
Why Bloody is a bad word?
Origin. Use of the adjective bloody as a profane intensifier predates the 18th century. Its ultimate origin is unclear, and several hypotheses have been suggested. … The Oxford English Dictionary prefers the theory that it arose from aristocratic rowdies known as “bloods”, hence “bloody drunk” means “drunk as a blood”.
Is Bloody a bad word in the UK?
“Bloody” is no longer Britain’s most commonly used swear word, while the number of uttered expletives has dropped by more than a quarter in 20 years, a study has found. Bloody is a common swear word that is considered to be milder and less offensive than other, more visceral alternatives.
What does cack mean?
1 dialectal : to discharge excrement. 2 dialectal : vomit. cack. noun (1) ”
What does the phrase tommyrot mean?
: utter foolishness or nonsense.
Who said balderdash?
Here is the grandly-named Victorian historian Thomas Babington Macaulay, writing in a footnote in his History of England from James II: “I am almost ashamed to quote such nauseous balderdash”.