Word of the Day

: February 12, 2010

phony

adjective FOH-nee

What It Means

a : not genuine or real: as a *(1) : intended to deceive or mislead (2) : intended to defraud : counterfeit

b : arousing suspicion : probably dishonest

c : having no basis in fact : fictitious

d : false, sham

e : making a false show: as (1) : hypocritical (2) : specious

phony in Context

"Digital tricksters increasingly place phony footage, facts and press releases on Web sites and video-sharing sites to see how quickly the falsehoods will spread through traditional and new media alike." (Sandy Cohen, The Associated Press State and Local Wire, January 1, 2010)

Did You Know?

It's the backstory of "phony" that deserves our attention. "Phony" (which dates from the early 1900s) is believed to be an alteration of the British "fawney," the word for a gilded brass ring used in a confidence game called the "fawney rig." In this game, the trickster drops a ring (or a purse with some valuables in it) and runs to pick the item up at the same time as the poor sap who notices it on the ground. The trickster asserts that the found treasure should be split between them. The one who's "found" the item, convinced now of its value, chooses instead to give the con artist some money in order to keep the item, which is, of course, phony.