that's baloney!
that's complete nonsense!
STATISTICS
IN THE PRESS
Rumors of U.S. bases in Africa are BALONEY
(CNN News headline)
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During the last dozen years we have constantly been assured that government databases are there to help us and that they will be tightly controlled to guarantee individual liberty. A key part of this promise is the guarantee that systems will not link up to share information. THAT'S BALONEY.
(The Guardian Online)
(CNN News headline)
---
During the last dozen years we have constantly been assured that government databases are there to help us and that they will be tightly controlled to guarantee individual liberty. A key part of this promise is the guarantee that systems will not link up to share information. THAT'S BALONEY.
(The Guardian Online)
Did you
know?
baloney
slang
- nonsense
food
- a smoked sausage, sliced and eaten cold
(Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary)
---
Baloney is the popular way to pronounce the name of the sausage "bologna." It first appeared in print around 1920 to describe a second-rate boxer. Its popularity as slang for nonsense can be traced to Governor Alfred E. Smith of New York State.
He used it repeatedly during the 1920s to criticise policy or legislation that he didn't like. One of his most famous quotes was "No matter how thin you slice it, it's still baloney." Later on during the Great Depression, he referred to the devalued U.S. dollar as the "baloney dollar."
There are several theories regarding how baloney came to be used as slang for nonsense, but most of them are - baloney. There are just as many ways to use the word baloney as there are ways to make a baloney sandwich. Here are some of the most popular:
- that's a load of baloney!
- that's a lot of baloney!
- that's a bunch of baloney!
- he's just talking baloney!
- he's spouting baloney!
- he's full of baloney!
---
SYNONYMS
bull, bunk, garbage, hogwash, poppycock, twaddle
---
SMUGGLE OWAD INTO TODAY'S CONVERSATION:
"They told me the package was delivered last week, but that's baloney!"
---
NOTE:
if you're interested in detecting baloney in professional or everyday life, check out Carl Sagan's "Baloney Detection Kit" here:
http://www.inf.fu-berlin.de/lehre/pmo/eng/Sagan-Baloney.pdf
slang
- nonsense
food
- a smoked sausage, sliced and eaten cold
(Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary)
---
Baloney is the popular way to pronounce the name of the sausage "bologna." It first appeared in print around 1920 to describe a second-rate boxer. Its popularity as slang for nonsense can be traced to Governor Alfred E. Smith of New York State.
He used it repeatedly during the 1920s to criticise policy or legislation that he didn't like. One of his most famous quotes was "No matter how thin you slice it, it's still baloney." Later on during the Great Depression, he referred to the devalued U.S. dollar as the "baloney dollar."
There are several theories regarding how baloney came to be used as slang for nonsense, but most of them are - baloney. There are just as many ways to use the word baloney as there are ways to make a baloney sandwich. Here are some of the most popular:
- that's a load of baloney!
- that's a lot of baloney!
- that's a bunch of baloney!
- he's just talking baloney!
- he's spouting baloney!
- he's full of baloney!
---
SYNONYMS
bull, bunk, garbage, hogwash, poppycock, twaddle
---
SMUGGLE OWAD INTO TODAY'S CONVERSATION:
"They told me the package was delivered last week, but that's baloney!"
---
NOTE:
if you're interested in detecting baloney in professional or everyday life, check out Carl Sagan's "Baloney Detection Kit" here:
http://www.inf.fu-berlin.de/lehre/pmo/eng/Sagan-Baloney.pdf
