furphy

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• Furphy — for a rumour, or an erroneous or improbable story. The word is derived 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… …   Wikipedia

• Furphy — Joseph Furphy (* 26. September 1843 im Melbourner Vorort Yering; † 13. September 1912) war ein australischer Schriftsteller; er gilt als „Vater des australischen Romans“. Furphy schrieb meistens unter dem Pseudonym Tom Collins und war während des …   Deutsch Wikipedia

• Furphy — This Irish name formerly O Foirbhilhe in the Gaelic, is a nickname and translates as the descendant of the perfect one , the clan originating in County Tyrone. With a meaning like that it is perhaps not surprising that the surname is regarded as… …   Surnames reference

• furphy — /ferr fee/, n., pl. furphies. Australian. a false report; rumor. [1910 15; after Furphy carts water and rubbish carts manufactured by the Furphy family of Shepparton, Victoria, and used during World War I; cf. parallel semantic development of… …   Universalium

• Furphy — /ˈfɜfi/ (say ferfee) noun Joseph ( Tom Collins ), 1843–1912, Australian writer and poet; author of Such is Life (1903). Joseph Furphy was born at Yering (Yarra Glen), Victoria, and worked as a farmer, bullock driver and, after 1883, in the family …   Australian English dictionary

• furphy — [“fa^fi] n. a groundless rumor. □ I heard a furphy about you yesterday. □ Who started that furphy anyway? …   Dictionary of American slang and colloquial expressions

• furphy — n. (pl. ies) Austral. sl. 1 a false report or rumour. 2 an absurd story. Etymology: water and sanitary Furphy carts of the war of 1914 18, made at a foundry set up by the Furphy family …   Useful english dictionary

• furphy — n Australian a lie, malicious rumour, tall story. The term is said to originate in Irish usage, but has also been derived from a person of the same name, the contractor who supplied garbage disposal wagons for the army camps in Australia during… …   Contemporary slang

• furphy — [ fə:fi] noun (plural furphies) Austral. informal a far fetched rumour. Origin First World War: from the name painted on water and sanitary carts manufactured by the Furphy family of Shepparton, Victoria …   English new terms dictionary

• furphy — /ˈfɜfi / (say ferfee) noun (plural furphies) a rumour; a false story. {from John Furphy, manufacturer in Victoria of water carts, some of which, during World War I, were stationed near latrines for hand washing and became centres of gossip} …   Australian English dictionary