Trend Watch

Malarkey

When it was used several times during the vice-presidential debate ...

When:

Lookups spiked on October 11, 2012.

Why:

Vice President Joe Biden used the word malarkey several times during the vice-presidential debate with Congressman Paul Ryan.

Malarkey means "insincere or foolish talk" or "nonsense."

Biden and Ryan share an Irish heritage, and malarkey is associated with Irish-American English. The word's true origins are not clear, however: the word resembles an Irish last name (sometimes spelled Mullarkey) but could have come from a similar-sounding Greek word or even Irish slang. One thing is certain: the word was used first in America, not Ireland.


Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!