furphy
- noun
- Australian
:
rumor
- Despite the furphy going around, the new restaurant is actually thriving and gaining popularity.
Examples
-
People were spreading a furphy that the store was closing down, but it was just a misunderstanding.
-
Liberal Party "dries" and economists don't like the lack of Cost-Benefit Analysis (CBA) that led to the NBN, but I find that a furphy.
Blog text (20) -
The rumor that the movie was canceled turned out to be a furphy after the producers announced its premiere date.
Synonyms
28
7.0
Rumors told by other people that may not be true
27
7.8
Rumors people tell each other about events or people
27
3.5
Rumor spread by people talking rather than by officials
26
4.3
A story many people believe that is probably not true, often about scary or strange events
11
8.8
Rumor or gossip, often not confirmed and shared informally
A false story told to fool people
Rumors people tell that are not proven true
A harmful, quickly spreading story that causes distrust and trouble
Antonyms
How True
Surface Forms
Etymology
Furphy later came to mean an untrue story or 'rumor' because soldiers and workers often stood by Furphy water carts and shared gossip, so the maker's name became the word for a rumor. That's why today a furphy means an 'untrue or unreliable story'.