Malarky
Nonsense. Foolish talk. Carry-on that the speaker does not believe and does not intend to engage with. 'Don't give me that malarky' = stop talking rubbish. Often spelled 'malarkey'; both forms current.
Etymology
Origin probably Irish, though not firmly settled. The most-cited candidate is Irish 'meallaireacht' (= deception, swindle) or a related Irish-language form. Documented in American English from the 1920s onwards; the Hiberno-English version is parallel rather than later. The word's high-profile use by Joe Biden ('a bunch of malarkey') in the 2012 US Vice-Presidential debates pushed it into wider current English.
In a sentence
"Don't be giving me that malarky - you were nowhere near the place last night."
Historical notes
Malarky is one of the Hiberno-English diaspora words that became more associated with Irish-American speech than with Irish speech itself. American English picked it up in the early twentieth century via Irish immigration; modern American politicians and pundits use it freely. In Ireland the word is heard but feels slightly transatlantic - Irish speakers may reach for 'codswallop', 'shite', or 'nonsense' just as readily. The two spellings (malarky / malarkey) are both standard.
Alternate spellings
malarkey
Sources
- Oxford English Dictionary, entry malarkey n. · dictionary