SOG-UK-L Archives

From: Howard M Knight <>
Subject: Re: [SOG] furphy (was Email & credit card)
Date: Wed, 06 Dec 2000 00:07:12 +0000

At 02:16 PM 05/12/00 +1000, Tom Perrett wrote:
>On Mon, 4 Dec 2000 09:51:45 +0000, Barney Tyrwhitt-Drake wrote:
>
> >>* is furphy an Aussie slang word only?
>
> >The OED seems to think it is:
>
>Curious to know what the OED gives as the origin, just wondering
>to see if if matches the folk lore as to where the usage came from.

The Shorter OED has this entry:
furphy /"f@:fi/ n. Austral. slang.
[f. Furphy water and sanitary carts, manufactured by the Furphy family in
Victoria during the 1914–18 war.]
A false report or rumour; an absurd story.
d. cusack Don’t tell me you boys believe that old furphy?

Howard

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