SOG-UK-L Archives

From: Barney Tyrwhitt-Drake <>
Subject: Re: [SOG] furphy (was Email & credit card)
Date: Wed, 6 Dec 2000 10:02:55 +0000

In message <>, Howard M
Knight <> writes
>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?
>
Can someone in Australia explain the link between a water cart and a
rumour?
--
Barney Tyrwhitt-Drake

Drake Software web site: http://www.tdrake.demon.co.u

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• Re: [SOG] furphy (was Email & credit card) by Barney Tyrwhitt-Drake <>