Meaning & use
British balderdash
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Meanings
noununcountableinformalBritish
Silly or untrue talk that is presented as if it were serious or important, especially in a British context.
Grammar: Uncountable, so it is used without an or an and without a plural form: 'that is British balderdash', not 'a British balderdash'.
Patterns
- be British balderdash
- call something British balderdash
- talk British balderdash
The minister's explanation for the new tax was called British balderdash by the opposition.
He said the report was British balderdash and refused to discuss it further.
I enjoy a good debate, but that speech was pure British balderdash.
noununcountableinformalBritish
A piece of writing or speech that is full of nonsense and has no real value.
Grammar: Still uncountable; you can say 'a load of British balderdash' to mean a large amount of it.
Patterns
- a load of British balderdash
- full of British balderdash
- dismiss something as British balderdash
The article was a load of British balderdash from beginning to end.
She dismissed the rumor as British balderdash and went back to work.
His latest blog post is full of British balderdash about the economy.
Common combinations
- a load of British balderdash
- The rumor turned out to be a load of British balderdash.
- pure British balderdash
- His excuse was pure British balderdash and nobody believed it.
- dismiss something as British balderdash
- The editor dismissed the story as British balderdash.
- talk British balderdash
- They talked British balderdash for an hour without saying anything useful.
Synonyms and how they differ
- nonsense
- Nonsense is the general word for silly or untrue talk; British balderdash is more informal and often suggests a British flavor or a mocking tone.
- rubbish
- Rubbish is very common in British English for something worthless or untrue; British balderdash is stronger and more old-fashioned in feel.
- hogwash
- Hogwash is similar in meaning but more American and informal; British balderdash is specifically British in tone.
Opposites
Word family
- balderdash noun
- The base word meaning nonsense; British balderdash is simply a British-flavored version of it.
Commonly confused: British balderdash or balderdash?
British balderdash vs balderdash
Balderdash alone means nonsense in general; adding British makes it specifically about British talk or ideas, or gives it a mocking British flavor.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'British balderdash' correctly?
Choose one answer.
'British balderdash' is uncountable, so it is used without 'a' or a plural. Option 2 uses it correctly as an uncountable noun. Options 1 and 3 wrongly add 'a', and option 4 uses it as if it were a countable object, which is not correct.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “British balderdash”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.