Definitions
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- noun Australia (
slang ) arumour , or anerroneous orimprobable story .
Etymologies
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
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Examples
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Commander Unkles said it was a "furphy" for people such as Craig Wilcox, author of Australia's Boer War, to suggest the laws of 2010 were being applied to the case.
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Mr Morrison dismissed the government's reasoning as a "furphy".
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Commander Unkles said it was a "furphy" for people such as Craig Wilcox, author of Australia's Boer War, to suggest the laws of 2010 were being applied to the case.
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Labor's concern that Nauru is not a signatory to the United Nation's convention for refugees is a "furphy", he said.
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However, Ms Vass said the announcement was a 'furphy'.
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Ophthalmologist Bill Glasson says the argument is a "furphy" and battlers in regional and remote areas cannot afford the extra $300 cost it will cost them for each operation.
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Note they did not do the “stranger danger” abduction thing as everyone knew it was a furphy.
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Still, there were things I wanted to discuss, particularly the idea of isolation, which I think is a furphy for the most part.
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Still, there were things I wanted to discuss, particularly the idea of isolation, which I think is a furphy for the most part.
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Hardware may be a furphy topic… the last thing the US is going to need for a about 10 years is hardware.
bilby commented on the word furphy
Very Australian, this one. Often used in reference to a rumour that is simply not true.
eg. "A new airport? It's a complete furphy."
November 21, 2007
frindley commented on the word furphy
Commonly accepted derivation (courtesy wikipedia):
"…from water carts made by a company established by John Furphy: J. Furphy & Sons of Shepparton, Victoria. Many Furphy water carts were used to take water to Australian Army personnel during World War I. The carts, with "J. Furphy & Sons" written on their tanks, became popular as gathering places where soldiers could exchange gossip, rumours and fanciful tales."
April 25, 2008
maloney commented on the word furphy
Australian idiom: misleading information, a rumour, unsubstantiated idea.
Origin: Manufacturer's name embossed on cast-iron water carts used to supply front-line troops in WW1. Solders congregated to draw rations and swap rumours.
June 15, 2009
qms commented on the word furphy
The cats quell the quoll and the bilby
So Australia announces a kill spree.
It's only a furphy
They're aiming at cur-free,
But cats are kaput, or soon will be.
The dogs were in agency purview
And doubtless some barking and fur flew,
But their count is slight
When hunting at night-
Most dogs will abide by a curfew.
January 28, 2016
vendingmachine commented on the word furphy
Australian English has a rich collection of idioms.
February 1, 2016