Boloney

/bəˈloʊni/ noun

Definition

Nonsense, lies, or something regarded as ridiculous or untrue; also an alternative spelling of bologna the meat.

Etymology

Originally from bologna sausage (the meat from Bologna, Italy), but evolved into slang meaning something fake or inferior by the 1920s, as people humorously dismissed the processed meat as 'not real meat.'

Kelly Says

The transformation of 'boloney' from a food item to slang for lies is hilarious—it happened because people jokingly called the sausage 'baloney' (inferior), and by the Jazz Age, teenagers were saying 'that's boloney!' meaning 'that's bull'!

Related Words

Explore More Words

Get the Word Orb API

Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.