Dictionary
Thesaurus
Encyclopedia
Translator
Web

blarney

 - 5 dictionary results

blar⋅ney

[blahr-nee] noun, verb, -neyed, -ney⋅ing.
–noun
1. flattering or wheedling talk; cajolery.
2. deceptive or misleading talk; nonsense; hooey: a lot of blarney about why he was broke.
–verb (used with object), verb (used without object)
3. to flatter or wheedle; use blarney: He blarneys his boss with the most shameless compliments.

Origin:
1760–70; after the hamlet Blarney, in Ireland; see Blarney stone
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To blarney
blar·ney   (blär'nē)   
n.  
  1. Smooth, flattering talk.

  2. Deceptive nonsense.


[After the Blarney Stone in Blarney Castle, Blarney, Ireland.]
blar'ney v.
Blar·ney   (blär'nē)   
A village of southern Ireland near Cork. Blarney Castle (dating from the 15th century) is the site of the Blarney Stone, said to impart powers of eloquence and persuasion.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
Cultural Dictionary

blarney

Smooth, flattering talk, often nonsensical or deceptive. Based on an Irish legend that those who kiss the Blarney Stone will become skilled in flattery.

The American Heritage® New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
Word Origin & History

blarney 
1796, from Blarney Stone (which is said to make a persuasive flatterer of any who kiss it), in a castle near Cork, Ireland; reached wide currency through Lady Blarny, the smooth-talking flatterer in Goldsmith's "Vicar of Wakefield" (1766).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
Cite This Source
Search another word or see blarney on Thesaurus | Reference
FacebookTwitterFollow us: