hogwash

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English[edit]

Etymology[edit]

From Middle English *hoggewasch (found only as Middle English hoggyswasch (refuse of the kitchen for feeding pigs, literally hog's wash)), equivalent to hog +‎ wash.

Pronunciation[edit]

  • IPA(key): /ˈhɒɡwɒʃ/
  • (file)
  • Rhymes: -ɒɡwɒʃ

Noun[edit]

hogwash (usually uncountable, plural hogwashes)

  1. (informal, figurative) Foolish talk or writing; nonsense.
    Synonyms: nonsense; see also Thesaurus:nonsense
    • 2016, T. Colin Campbell, Thomas M. Campbell, The China Study: Revised and Expanded Edition, BenBella Books, Inc., page 214:
      We have more faith in the average American than that. It’s not true that Americans love hogwash— it’s that hogwash inundates Americans, whether they want it or not! Some Americans want the truth— they just haven’t been able to find it because it is drowned out by hogwash.
    • 2019 March 14, Ramzy Baroud, “Chasing mirages: What are Palestinians doing to combat ‘Deal of the Century’?”, in Ma'an News[1], archived from the original on 30 March 2019:
      Diplomatic hogwash aside, ‘efficiency and effectiveness’ have nothing to do with the shutting of the Consulate. The decision is but a continuation of successive US measures aimed at “taking Jerusalem off the table” – as per Trump’s own words - of any future negotiations.
  2. (literal) A mixture of solid and liquid food scraps fed to pigs; swill. [from mid 15th c.]
    Synonyms: slop, slops, swill

Related terms[edit]

Translations[edit]