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malarkey

Etymology and origin of the English word malarkey

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Pronunciation

  • IPA: /məˈlɑːki/ (UK); /məˈlɑɹki/ (US)[1]

Etymology

The origin is unknown.[2][3][4][5][6] Etymonline notes an 1894 Australian use of “Captain Mullurky” as a name for a military muddle,[4] and that Mullarkey is an Irish surname.[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

Humbug, nonsense, foolishness (1924 in Etymonline; 1929 in Barnhart, Merriam-Webster and the OED, where Barnhart's first form is malaky).[4][3][5][7]

Semantic evolution

The word arose in American English in the 1920s[4][6] and has kept its meaning of insincere, exaggerated or misleading talk.[2][5][6] The similar American slang ackamarackus appeared about the same time (1934).[4]

Timeline

  • 1924 – lies and exaggeration.[4]
  • 1929 – nonsense, humbug.[7][3][5]
  • 1934 – ackamarackus, a similar coinage.[4]

Modern meaning

Noun

  1. Foolish, exaggerated or insincere talk, often meant to deceive; nonsense.

References

  1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
  3. ^ a b c Barnhart, Robert K., ed. (1995), The Barnhart Concise Dictionary of Etymology, New York: HarperCollins
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  5. ^ a b c d Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  6. ^ a b c Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary (1999), 2nd ed., New York: Random House
  7. ^ a b Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
Cite this entry

“Malarkey.” Etymologically, 15 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/en/malarkey. Accessed 15 Oct. 2026.

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