phonus bolonus

noun

pho·​nus bo·​lo·​nus

ˈfōnəsbəˈlōnəs

1

: pretentious falsity : piffle, tripe

all the stylish humbug he is fond of calling phonus bolonus

—New York Times

2

: chicanery, skulduggery, trickery

it was owing to some phonus bolonus on his part that the conflagration had been unleashed

—P. G. Wodehouse

Word History

Etymology

alteration of phony baloney

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