codswallop

noun

cods·​wal·​lop ˈkȯdz-ˌwä-ləp How to pronounce codswallop (audio)
ˈkädz-
British, informal
: words or ideas that are foolish or untrue : nonsense
The notion that Scott was waylaid by bad luck is "a lot of codswallop," said Roland Huntford, a British historian.Kenneth Chang
"Some say he died. Codswallop, in my opinion …"J. K. Rowling
… I muttered, "Yes, that's right," knowing all the while that it was a load of codswallop.Steven Pinker

Examples of codswallop in a Sentence

That is a load of codswallop. a trendy London restaurant serving bizarre concoctions that anyone with a brain and a stomach would dismiss as codswallop
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Great story, total codswallop, says Skaife, who has pored through the archives and found zip. William Booth, The Seattle Times, 26 Oct. 2018 And don’t forget codswallop, a word that sounds Shakespearean but was coined in 1959. Stephen Miller, WSJ, 29 May 2018 Mnuchin tried to double-talk this codswallop past SPW. Charles P. Pierce, Esquire, 19 May 2017

Word History

Etymology

origin unknown

First Known Use

1959, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of codswallop was in 1959

Dictionary Entries Near codswallop

Cite this Entry

“Codswallop.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/codswallop. Accessed 30 Nov. 2024.

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