Archive for January 10th, 2019

Let’s put an end to codswallop

I love learning new words. Here’s one that caught my attention:

codswallop

The definition:nonsense; nonsensical talk or writing

Origin: One theory traces the word back to a man named Codd and his gassy beer. Another traces the word only to c. 1959 when it first appeared in print.

Synonyms: folderol, trash, tripe, trumpery

The story I like best is that it just sounds like its meaning: made-up rubbish.

Daniel Webster, father of the dictionary. from the Metropolitan Museum of Art, enamel on copper, Gift of Gloria Manney, 2006.

Daniel Webster was an American politician who represented New Hampshire and Massachusetts in the United States House of Representatives; served as a Senator from Massachusetts; and was the United States Secretary of State under Presidents William Henry Harrison, John Tyler, and Millard Fillmore.

Am I implying that Daniel Webster, or any other politician is guilty of spewing codswallop? You decide.