Balderdash

Origin

Imagine a boisterous 16th-century tavern, clinking with tankards and booming laughter. Bartenders, in a pinch or perhaps just for sport, would sometimes concoct a strange blend of whatever dregs they had on hand—a dash of stale ale, a splash of sour wine, a dollop of milk, and a sprinkle of spices. This unpalatable, frothy mess was dubbed "balderdash." It was a chaotic, disagreeable mixture of disparate elements, much like a confused jumble of words. Soon enough, the term leapt from the bar counter to the realm of conversation. By the 17th century, any speech or writing that was similarly confused, nonsensical, or utterly foolish became known as "balderdash," forever associating absurd talk with that original, bizarre drink.