bosh

¹

[ bosh ]

noun

1. absurd or foolish talk; nonsense.

bosh

²

[ bosh ]

noun

, Metallurgy.

1. the section of a blast furnace between the hearth and the stack, having the form of a frustum of an inverted cone.

bosh

¹

/ bɒʃ /

noun

1. informal.
   empty or meaningless talk or opinions; nonsense

bosh

²

/ bɒʃ /

noun

1. the lower tapering portion of a blast furnace, situated immediately above the air-inlet tuyères
2. the deposit of siliceous material that occurs on the surfaces of vessels in which copper is refined
3. a water tank for cooling glass-making tools, etc
4. dialect.
   a kitchen sink or wash basin

Word History and Origins

Origin of bosh¹

1830–35; < Turkish boş empty; popularized from its use in the novel Ayesha (1834) by British author James J. Morier (1780–1849)

Origin of bosh²

1670–80; probably < German; akin to German böschen to slope, Böschung slope, scarp

Word History and Origins

Origin of bosh¹

C19: from Turkish boş empty

Origin of bosh²

C17: probably from German; compare böschen to slope, Böschung slope

Example Sentences

The government has decided not to bosh on with this immediately, and instead return to it after the Easter recess.

From BBC

“Oh, bosh,” she replied, “you looked quite different when I saw you before.”

From Literature

Think of all the Lean in 15 recipes you could bosh while that’s on in the background.

From The Guardian

‘Why, it’s absolute bosh from beginning to end.”

From Literature

He was also sore about the shoulders and had a burning ear, from making bosh shots at the quintain— for, of course, practice tilting was done without armour.

From Literature

Related Words

• drivel
• gibberish