Furphy (noun)
fur-fee
(informal) (Aus) A rumour or story, especially one that is untrue or absurd.
First World War from the name painted on water and sanitary carts manufactured by the Furphy family of Shepparton, Victoria; during the war they became popular as a place where soldiers exchanged gossip, often when visiting the latrines.
Example sentences
“They loved nothing more than exchanging a furphy over the garden fence.”
Wonky (adj) won-kee Not straight or balanced, off kilter. First recorded in 1915–20; perhaps variant of dialectal wanky, equivalent to wank(le) ( Middle English wankel, Old English wancol. (more…)
