Mullarkey

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Nonsense or foolish talk; deceptive or insincere behavior; an expression for something considered worthless or trivial
2. Absurd or meaningless chatter; crafty or dishonest conduct; a term used to describe trivial or worthless matters
3. Silly or empty talk; behavior that is fraudulent or unscrupulous; a label for something regarded as unimportant or false

Etymology: The most famous story here belongs to Thomas Aloysius "Tad" Dorgan, an Irish-American cartoonist who popularized the word in print. He began using it in his cartoons on March 9, 1922, and its spread through American newspapers followed from there. Before Dorgan, the word was not widely known in this sense, so his drawings are the usual point where it entered general use. Where the word came from is less certain. Its origin is unknown, and two possibilities have been proposed: the Irish "mallachtóireacht," meaning cursing or swearing, and the Greek "malakíes," a term tied to foolish or cowardly talk. Neither connection has been firmly proven, so the word remains an etymological puzzle. "Mullarkey" is an alternative spelling of the same word, so the history above applies equally to it.

Synonyms: nonsense, rubbish, balderdash, hogwash, foolishness

Antonyms: sense, truth, fact, reality