hogwash

hogwash
 
[hawg-wosh]

 
noun:talk or writing that is meaningless or insincere
 
Explanation

 
Hogwash is talk or writing that's empty, insincere, or just plain nonsense. The word comes from farm life, originally referring to the watery slop fed to pigs. Next time someone spins a story that doesn't hold water, you can call it what it is: hogwash.


***
hogwash
American 

[hawg-wosh, -wawsh, hog-]
/ ;h;g;w;;, -;w;;, ;h;g- /
noun
refuse given to hogs; swill.

any worthless stuff.

meaningless or insincere talk, writing, etc.; nonsense; bunk.

Hogwash: Word of the Day
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hogwash
British 
/ ;h;;;w;; /
noun
informal nonsense

pigswill

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology
Origin of hogwash
1400–50; 1900–05 hogwash for def. 2; late Middle English. See hog, wash

Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

I didn’t know why I was holding my breath because I knew that the old saying of how you could hold your breath and nothing would sting you was pure hogwash.

From Literature


“The idea that this law is about policing is hogwash,” Zbur said.

From Los Angeles Times

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His wife Amanda was less discreet about it - she went on social media to describe the claims as "a load of hogwash".

From BBC

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Troy Douthett with the Butler City Council dismissed as “hogwash” the Secret Service’s claim that the shooter was outside its security perimeter.

From Los Angeles Times

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Somewhere on the road between hogwash and baloney, Washington ran into reality.

From Seattle Times