balderdash

English

Etymology

Unknown, possibly from the early English drink of wine mixed with beer or water or other substances that was sold cheaply.

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ˈbɔːldə.dæʃ/

Noun

balderdash (uncountable)

1. senseless talk or writing; nonsense.
2. (archaic) A worthless mixture, especially of liquors.
   • Taylor (Drink and Welcome)

     Indeed beer, by a mixture of wine, hath lost both name and nature, and is called balderdash.

Synonyms

• bunk, drivel, piffle, poppycock, rubbish, twaddle
• see Wikisaurus:nonsense

Translations

nonsense

• Bulgarian: глупости (bg) (glúposti) f pl, безсмислици (bg) (bezsmíslici) f pl
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 胡說八道 (cmn), 胡说八道 (cmn) (húshuōbādào)

• Dutch: gebazel (nl) n
• Finnish: soopa (fi)

• French: bêtises (fr) f pl
• German: Gefasel (de) n
• Ido: stult-ajo
• Japanese: たわごと (ja) (tawagoto)
• Russian: чепуха (ru) (čepuxá) f, бессмыслица (ru) (bessmýslica) f, вздор (ru) (vzdor) m, галиматья (ru) (galimatʹjá) f, белиберда (ru) (beliberdá) f

Verb

balderdash (third-person singular simple present balderdashes, present participle balderdashing, simple past and past participle balderdashed)

1. To mix or adulterate.

   The wine merchants of Nice brew and balderdash, and even mix it with pigeon's dung and quicklime. — Smollett.