Searching 725 entries, their variants, meanings, and origins
“nonsense”
3 matches
-
All my eye and Betty Martin
Meaning Complete nonsense, especially a boast, excuse or claim that deserves no belief. Dated and playful. It is likely to puzzle readers unless the context clearly signals disbelief. Regional use: British English…
Also known as All my eye · My eye and Betty Martin
-
Lollygag
Origin … century, often first spelled lallygag. Early uses cover nonsense, idling, and amorous fooling around, with both the dawdling and courting senses present by the 1860s. Its deeper formation is uncertain: loll…
Also known as lally-gag · lallygag · lolly-gag
-
When pigs fly
Origin … poem mocking fools. Possibly ties to circus oddities or hog tales, it reflects a rural wit that ballooned in Victorian jests-like 'pigs with wings' in cartoons-growing into a snappy put-down of nonsense…
Also known as Pigs fly