bunkum

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1 English
2 References

[edit] English

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[edit] Etymology

From Buncombe, a county in North Carolina. On 25 Feb 1820, Felix Walker, a US Congress person (whose territory included Buncombe County, NC) gave a rambling speech on the Missouri question with little relevance to the current debate. He informed his colleagues that his speech was not intended for Congress but that he was "speaking for Buncombe."

"From 1817 to 1823, the district which includes Buncombe was represented in Congress by one, [sic, the comma] not an orator. On one occasion, he attempted to address the House in favor of a bill providing pensions for militiamen; but a determination not to hear him was manifested. He appealed to the late Mr. Lowndes to interpose on his behalf, intimating that he would be satisfied with the allowance of five minutes for a speech that might be published in the newspapers, and assuring him that his remarks were not intended for the House, but for Buncombe. He was gratified, and spoke under the five minutes' rule. To the astonishment of the good people of Buncombe, the speech of their representative (a curious specimen of logic and oratory) appeared in the Washington City Gazette, covering nearly a broadside of that paper. "Speaking for Buncombe (not Bunkum) is a term often applied since to men who waste the time of legislative bodies in making speeches for the sole purpose of receiving popular applause." Benson John Lossing. 1860. The Pictoral Field-book of the Revolution; Or, Illustrations, by Pen and Pencil, of the History, Biography, Scenery, Relics, and Traditions of the War for Independence. Vol. II: p 470-471, footnote. New York: Harper and Brothers.

[edit] Noun

Singular
bunkum

Plural
countable and uncountable; bunkums

bunkum (countable and uncountable; plural bunkums)

(slang) senseless talk; nonsense
(Washington circa 1828) any bombastic political posturing or an oratorical display not accompanied by conviction; speechmaking designed for show or public applause.