furphy

noun, plural fur·phies. Australian.

a false report; rumor.

Origin:
1910–15; after Furphy carts water and rubbish carts manufactured by the Furphy family of Shepparton, Victoria, and used during World War I; compare parallel semantic development of scuttlebutt

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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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World English Dictionary

furphy (ˈfɜːfɪ)

—n , pl -phies
	slang (Austral) a rumour or fictitious story

[C20: from Furphy carts (used for water or sewage in World War I), made at a foundry established by the Furphy family]

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Furphy (ˈfɜːfɪ)

—n
	Joseph, pen name Tom Collins. 1843--1912, Australian author. His works include the classic Australian novel Such is Life (1903) and The Buln-Buln and the Brolga (1948)

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Slang Dictionary

furphy definition

[ˈfɚfi]

n.
news; gossip; a groundless rumor; scuttlebutt. (Old. From the proper name of an Australian firm that appeared on water wagons in WWI. This source of water was used as a gathering place where gossip was exchanged. Compare to the origin of scuttlebutt. See also latrine rumor.) : I heard a furphy about you yesterday.

Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
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furphy

fur·phy

furphy definition