Blatherskite

Blatherskite

ˈblaT͟Hərˌskīt

Noun

  • A person who talks at great length without making much sense.
  • Foolish talk; nonsense.

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Example Sentences

“I don’t want to hear your blatherskite — let’s talk about what really matters.”

“The professor had great insights in his books, but he was such a blatherskite that his students had trouble following his lectures.”

“Shakespeare’s play ‘Much Ado About Nothing’ features the character Dogberry, who is a bit of a blatherskite — he speaks in nonsense for much of his time onstage.”

Word Origin

American English, mid-17th century

Why this word?

“Blather” means “long-winded talk,” and “skite” is a derogatory Scots word. The word “blatherskite” came into English via the Scottish folk song “Maggie Lauder,” which was popular with American soldiers during the Revolutionary War. As “blatherskite” became popular American slang for a chatterer (or the rambling talk from such a person) the second half of the word lost the profanity it had in the Scots language. 

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