Nonsense or foolish talk that is meant to impress people but has no real meaning or value.
Named after Buncombe County, North Carolina in the 1820s when Congressman Felix Walker gave a long, pointless speech claiming to speak 'for Buncombe.' The word entered English as a humorous reference to empty political rhetoric.
Politicians have been caught 'speaking for Buncombe' for nearly 200 years—this word is basically a time capsule of frustration with meaningless speeches, and it went from a specific county name to describing any hot air anywhere in the world.
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