Tosh Is British for Nonsense, and Nobody Knows Why
Tosh means rubbish or nonsense. The word appeared in the 1890s from nowhere.
Tosh is British informal for nonsense or rubbish. It appeared in the 1890s and its origin has never been established — there is no earlier form to trace, no obvious foreign source and no convincing suggestion. English has an unusually rich supply of such words for nonsense, and many of them are equally untraceable: *twaddle*, *balderdash*, *poppycock*, *piffle* and *codswallop* all have murky or disputed origins. *Poppycock* is the exception, coming from Dutch *pappekak*, soft dung.
- Nonsense. *Complete tosh.*
- Rubbish. *What a load of tosh.*
- Twaddle — a synonym. *Twaddle.*
- Codswallop — another. *Codswallop.*
- Unknown origin. *The 1890s.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | tosh | Tosh. |
| Related | twaddle | Twaddle. |
| Related | piffle | Piffle. |
| Related | balderdash | Balderdash. |
| Origin | unknown | The 1890s. |
- That is absolute tosh.Dismissal.
- A load of old tosh.Phrase.
- It appeared in the 1890s.History.
British words for nonsense
- Tosh — origin unknown
- Twaddle — origin obscure, from the 1780s
- Balderdash — first meant a jumbled drink
- Poppycock — from Dutch *pappekak*, soft dung
- Codswallop — disputed, the beer-bottle story is unproven
Origin unknown, recorded in British English from the 1890s.
Where does tosh come from?
Nobody knows. It appears in the 1890s with no traceable ancestor and no convincing explanation.
Is codswallop named after a bottle maker?
That story is unproven. Hiram Codd made bottles, but the link to the word has never been established.