phony adj
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phony — (adj.) not genuine, 1900, phoney, perhaps an alteration of FAWNEY (Cf. fawney) gilt brass ring used by swindlers. The noun meaning phony person or thing is attested from 1902 … Etymology dictionary
phony — adj *counterfeit, spurious, bogus, fake, sham, pseudo, pinchbeck … New Dictionary of Synonyms
phony — [adj] fake, false affected, artificial, assumed, bogus, counterfeit, forged, imitation, pseudo, put on*, sham*, spurious, trick; concept 582 Ant. genuine, real, sincere … New thesaurus
phony — ☆ phony [fō′nē ] adj. phonier, phoniest [altered < Brit thieves argot fawney, gilt ring (passed off as gold by swindlers) < Ir fáinne] Informal not genuine; false, counterfeit, spurious, pretentious, etc. n. pl. phonies Informal 1.… … English World dictionary
phony — phonily, adv. phoniness, n. /foh nee/, adj., phonier, phoniest, n., pl. phonies, v., phonied, phonying. adj. 1. not real or genuine; fake; counterfeit: a phony diamond. 2. false or deceiving; not truthful; concocted: a phony explanation. 3.… … Universalium
phony — pho•ny or phoney [[t]ˈfoʊ ni[/t]] adj. ni•er, ni•est, 1) cvb not real or genuine; fake: phony diamonds[/ex] 2) cvb false or deceiving: a phony excuse[/ex] 3) cvb affected or pretentious 4) cvb something phony; a counterfeit or fake 5) cvb an… … From formal English to slang
phony-baloney — adjective or phoney baloney ˈ ̷ ̷ ̷ ̷ ̷ ̷ ˈ ̷ ̷ ̷ ̷ : phony * * * /foh nee beuh loh nee/, Slang. n. 1. nonsense; baloney. adj. 2. nonsensical; … Useful english dictionary
phony-baloney — /foh nee beuh loh nee/, Slang. n. 1. nonsense; baloney. adj. 2. nonsensical; foolish. * * * … Universalium
phony — I (New American Roget s College Thesaurus) adj., informal, spurious, fraudulent, sham, mock, put on (sl.), trumped up, fake, forged; gimcrack, pasteboard; deceitful, false hearted, lying; glib, canting, superficial. n., informal, counterfeit,… … English dictionary for students
phony — pho|ny [ˈfəuni US ˈfou ] adj [Date: 1800 1900; Origin: Perhaps from fawney brass ring used for deceiving people (18 19 centuries), from Irish Gaelic fáinne ring ] the usual American spelling of ↑phoney … Dictionary of contemporary English
