poppycock

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ˈpɒpikɒk/ (UK); /ˈpɑpiˌkɑk/ (US)^[1]

Etymology

It is probably borrowed from Dutch pappekak (“soft dung”) in dialect,^{[2][3][4][5][6]} from Middle Dutch pappe “soft food, pap”^[2][3][4] and kak “dung”,^[2][3][4][5] from kakken “to defecate”,^[2][3] from Latin cacare (“to defecate”).^[2][3][4] It is related to pap.^[2][3][4]

Earliest recorded meaning

Nonsense, rubbish, humbug (1865, American English).^[7][3][4][5]

Semantic evolution

The word entered American English from Dutch dialect^[4][6] and has always meant empty or foolish talk.^[7][2][5] Random House dates it earlier, to 1840–50.^[6]

Timeline

• 1840–50 – first recorded (Random House).^[6]
• 1865 – nonsense.^[7][3][4][5]

Modern meaning

Noun

1. Senseless or empty talk or writing; nonsense.

Word family

• poppycockish

Related words

• pap
• balderdash
• bunkum
• hogwash

References

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