Furphy

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ˈfɜːfiː/

Definitions

1. A term for a misleading rumor or false story that circulates informally can signify inaccurate information shared among a group of people
2. A misleading rumor or false story that circulates informally can be characterized as an inaccurate claim spread among individuals
3. An untrue or misleading tale passed around informally among people

Etymology: Australian soldiers in the First World War had a word for the rumours that swirled around them, and it came from a water cart. Furphy carts were made by the Victorian firm J. Furphy and Sons, whose name was painted on the side. Troops gathered around these carts to fill their canteens and swap news, and the talk that flowed there was soon called "furphies" after the wagons. A rival account holds that the name comes from the carts that hauled waste from the Broadmeadows Camp near Melbourne in 1914, with soldiers passing gossip as they worked or at the latrines where the carts were often seen. The water-cart story is the one most often repeated, but both link the word to the same firm's wagons and to the men who gathered around them.

Synonyms: false rumor, myth, fabrication

Antonyms: truth, fact