blarney

American  

[blahr-nee] / ˈblɑr ni /

noun

1. flattering or wheedling talk; cajolery.

2. deceptive or misleading talk; nonsense; hooey.

   a lot of blarney about why he was broke.

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verb (used with or without object)

blarneyed, blarneying

1. to flatter or wheedle; use blarney.

   He blarneys his boss with the most shameless compliments.

blarney British  

/ ˈblɑːnɪ /

noun

1. flattering talk

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verb

1. to cajole with flattery; wheedle

blarney Cultural  

1. Smooth, flattering talk, often nonsensical or deceptive. Based on an Irish legend that those who kiss the Blarney Stone will become skilled in flattery.

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Etymology

Origin of blarney

First recorded in 1760–70; after the hamlet Blarney, in Ireland; Blarney stone

Example Sentences

The man known for his charm and Irish blarney — a gift for the gab — was an ardent advocate of stronger U.S.-Canadian relations.

From Seattle Times

At moments like this, there was always a twinkle in his eye, showing what former Times columnist Chris Erskine once called his “Pennsylvania blarney.”

From Los Angeles Times

The nearest novel to being essentially Bostonian might be Edwin O’Connor’s “The Last Hurrah”; its protagonist, Frank Skeffington, based on Boston’s flamboyant James Michael Curley, embodies Boston’s old political culture of blarney and bribery.

From New York Times

“Joyride,” a grievously schematic blend of odd-couple comedy and life-affirming road movie, traverses the Irish countryside with a small degree of charm and a boatload of blarney.

From New York Times

To many would-be publishers, the title sounded like a bunch of blarney — even in the early 1990s, many people still considered Ireland a conservative backwater and a cultural appendage to Britain.

From New York Times