bunkum

[buhng-kuh m] /ˈbʌŋ kəm/
noun
1.
insincere speechmaking by a politician intended merely to please local constituents.
2.
insincere talk; claptrap; humbug.
Also, buncombe.
Origin
Americanism; after speech in 16th Congress, 1819-21, by F. Walker, who said he was bound to speak for Buncombe (N.C. county in district he represented)
Examples from the web for bunkum
  • Pure bunkum aimed mainly at their current believers so they can feel credible.
  • Belated acknowledgment only accentuated the bunkum that preceded it.
  • But saying that it's a natural frontal-lobe thing is bunkum.
  • bunkum is bunkum, you would think, but apparently for some people there are blind spots.
British Dictionary definitions for bunkum

bunkum

/ˈbʌŋkəm/
noun
1.
empty talk; nonsense
2.
(mainly US) empty or insincere speechmaking by a politician to please voters or gain publicity
Word Origin
C19: after Buncombe, a county in North Carolina, alluded to in an inane speech by its Congressional representative Felix Walker (about 1820)
Word Origin and History for bunkum
n.

variant of Buncombe.

Slang definitions & phrases for bunkum

bunkum

noun

bunk (1840s+)