Meaning & use
blarney
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Meanings
noununcountableinformaldisapproving
Charming, flattering talk that is not completely sincere, often used to persuade or entertain people.
Grammar: Uncountable; no plural and no 'a' before it: 'He gave us plenty of blarney.'
Patterns
- a lot of blarney
- give someone blarney
- blarney about something
He won the contract with pure blarney rather than a solid plan.
Don't believe his blarney about knowing all the right people.
She had a gift for blarney that made even dull meetings enjoyable.
verbtransitiveinformaldisapproving
To persuade or flatter someone with charming, insincere talk.
Grammar: Takes an object: blarney someone into something. Less common than the noun.
Patterns
- blarney someone into something
- blarney someone out of something
He blarneyed his way into the exclusive club.
She blarneyed the guard into letting her through the gate.
Common combinations
- a load of blarney
- That story about his royal ancestors is a load of blarney.
- blarney stone
- Tourists kiss the Blarney Stone to get the gift of gab.
- gift of blarney
- His gift of blarney made him a natural salesman.
- blarney someone into doing something
- She blarneyed him into lending her the money.
Synonyms and how they differ
- flattery
- Flattery is praise that may be sincere or not; blarney specifically suggests charming, often insincere talk used to persuade.
- charm
- Charm is a pleasant quality that attracts people; blarney is the talk that uses that charm, often with a hint of deception.
- sweet talk
- Sweet talk is very similar but often more romantic or manipulative; blarney is more playful and Irish-flavored.
Opposites
Commonly confused: blarney or blarney?
blarney vs blarney
Not to be confused with 'baloney', which means nonsense; blarney is charming, persuasive talk, while baloney is simply untrue or foolish talk.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'blarney' correctly?
Choose one answer.
'Blarney' is uncountable, so it cannot take 'a' or a plural; it can be used as a verb, but 'blarneyed very quickly' would need an object like 'blarneyed his way'. Option 1 correctly uses it as an uncountable noun meaning charming, persuasive talk.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “blarney”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.