Word | bogus |
---|---|
Date | December 14, 2010 |
Type | adjective |
Syllables | BOH-gus |
Etymology | You may know "bogus" as a slang word meaning "uncool" or simply "no good," but did you know that "bogus" has actually been a part of English since the early 1800s? Not only was the word coined then, it was actually doing some coining of its own, so to speak. Back then, a "bogus" was a machine used to make counterfeit coins. No one knows for sure how this coin-copying contraption got its name, but before long "bogus" had also become a popular noun for funny money itself or for a fraudulent imitation of any kind. The more general "phony" adjective followed shortly thereafter. |
Examples | Kelly knew that the letter informing her that she was a grand prize winner was bogus, so she threw it in the trash immediately. "The scheme appears aimed at getting the food business operator to make a confirmation phone call that would allow others to create a false identity and set up an auction site on the Internet to sell bogus items." -- From an article by Larry Carson in The Baltimore Sun, November 2, 2010 |
Definition | : not genuine : counterfeit, sham |
Tags: wordoftheday::adjective
Learn with these flashcards. Click next, previous, or up to navigate to more flashcards for this subject.
Next card: Rectrix latin word meaning plural bird's december noun
Previous card: Ekphrasis ekphrasis visual art literary december noun ek-fruh-sis
Up to card list: Word of the Day