furphy

Definition

An erroneous or improbable story; also, a rumour.

Etymology

From Furphy (a surname), from the firm of J[ohn] Furphy and Sons. An often-repeated etymology is that during World War I (1914–1918), Australian soldiers in Europe and the Middle East often stood around water carts manufactured by the firm and emblazoned with its name to talk and exchange news and rumours. Alternatively, it has been suggested that the word derives from news and rumours spread by soldiers operating Furphy carts collecting garbage and human waste in the Broadmeadows Camp in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, in 1914, or shared between soldiers visiting latrines where such Furphy carts would often be seen.

Example Sentences

• "I know wot I wus born fer now, an' soljerin's me game, / That's no furphy; but I never guessed it once; […]"
• "‘Well, old boy, some other Top Persons have high-stepping wives who go to Nefertiti, and the furphy round the House is that they believe in the thing so solidly that they’ve convinced their husbands, and that’s what’s really at the back of it.’ / 'Now look, you two, sober up a minute. This is serious. I think Bill’s furphy’s right.[…]’"
• "A number of the furphies and fads in relation to public-sector agricultural R&D relate to attempts to increase demand for farm products in various ways."