flummery

English

Etymology

Borrowed from Welsh llymru (“a sour jelly derived from boiled oatmeal”), of uncertain origin, perhaps related to llymrig (“slippery”).

For phonetic development, compare origin of Floyd.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈflʌməɹi/

• Audio (US)

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Noun

Flummery

flummery (countable and uncountable, plural flummeries)

1. A custard; any of several bland, gelatinous foodstuffs, usually made from stewed fruit and thickened with oatmeal, cornstarch or flour.
   1. (historical, specifically) A slightly tart, jelly-like food of Welsh origin, made from extensively boiling oats, then boiling down the liquid extracted from it.
2. Empty or meaningless talk, especially when used to flatter.
3. Pretentious trappings, useless ornaments used to impress.
4. Deceptive or blustering speech.
   • 1940, Rex Stout, Over My Dead Body

     "Pfui! This is flummery!"

   • 1960, John Wyndham, The Trouble With Lichen, Penguin Books, page 91:

     This is the twentieth century, for what it’s worth. It’s not the age of reason, or even the nineteenth century, it’s the era of flummery, and the day of the devious approach. Reason’s gone into the backrooms where it works to devise means by which people can be induced to emote in the desired direction.

Descendants

• → German: Flammeri

Interjection

flummery

1. An expression of contemptuous disbelief.