Nonsense or deceptive talk intended to trick or mislead someone; also, an eyewash solution used to clean the eye.
From 'eye' + 'wash' (a liquid cleansing agent). The literal meaning (a solution for eyes) dates to the 18th century, but the figurative 'nonsense' meaning emerged in 19th-century American slang, possibly from the idea of 'washing over the eyes' to obscure vision.
Calling lies 'eyewash' is brilliant—it suggests deception is like soap getting in your eyes, blinding you to truth, which captures perfectly how false information clouds our judgment and obscures reality.
Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.