Word of the Day

: March 17, 2009

blarney

noun BLAR-nee

What It Means

1 : skillful flattery : blandishment

2 : nonsense, humbug

blarney in Context

The woman at the bar laughingly asked Steve if anyone ever fell for that line of blarney.

Did You Know?

The village of Blarney in County Cork, Ireland, is home to Blarney Castle, and in the southern wall of that edifice lies the famous Blarney Stone. Legend has it that anyone who kisses the Blarney Stone will gain the gift of skillful flattery, but that gift must be attained at the price of some limber maneuvering -- you have to lie down and hang your head over a precipice to reach and kiss the stone. One story claims the word “blarney” gained popularity as a word for “flattery” after Queen Elizabeth I of England used it to describe the flowery (but apparently less than honest) cajolery of McCarthy Mor, who was then the lord of Blarney Castle.