Dictionary

piffle en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• /ˈpɪf.əl/ (UK, US)
• (Australia) audio

Etymology

Unknown, 1847. Perhaps blend of piddle + trifle, perhaps puff (“(onomatopoeia, puff of air)”) + -le (“diminutive”).

Meanings

1. (uncountable) Nonsense, foolish talk.
   • The move is obviously pure piffle: a dumbshow designed to placate (or at least entertain) the conservative base while distracting and antagonising rivals. 2022 May 31, James Vincent, “Boris Johnson’s move to bring back imperial units is pure piffle – and simply unfathomable”, in The Guardian:
   • The wafflier the piffle, the more sharply Mr Nicholson wields his skewer. 2008 November 27, “Walking: More than gadding about”, in The Economist:

Synonyms

bushwah · balls · poppycock · jabberwocky · skimble-skamble · jive · hokum · fuckery · whiff-whaff · bafflegab · put-on · tommy-rot · foolishness · word salad · tush · all my eye · bull feathers · Greek · horse cock · baloney · Bandini · garble · hogwash · rigmarole · blah-blah · bilgewater · gup · hocus-pocus · tosh · gibberish · lallation · applesauce · banana oil · fiddle-faddle · gossip · double talk · drivel · guff · moonshine · bullshit · crap · batshit · blatherskite · doublespeak · bunkum · junk · dribble · horseshit · blather · tripe · pigswill · rhubarb rhubarb · shite · pie in the sky · mumbo jumbo · garbage · nonsense · jibber-jabber · absurdity · bullspeak · rhubarb · humbug · fudge · flummery · codswallop · wass · bulldust · bullcrap · Gallophone · trittle trattle · nertz · trash · twaddle · footle · macaroni · crock of shit · all my eye and Betty Martin · horse hockey · stuff and nonsense · jimjam · clamjamfrey · double Dutch · piffle · bobbins · Irish bull · bull · eyewash · framis · prattle · meaninglessness · hoax · crock · bollocks · gash · blah-blah-blah · BS · fuckry · rot · apple grease · galimatias · horsefeathers · squit · stuff · cobblers · rubbish · manure · gobbledygook · jargon · horse puckey · batcrap · flapdoodle · folderol · claptrap · flim-flam · ruse · santorum · gibber · baragouin · flizz · shit · jabber · hooey · malarkey · bunk · blah · horse piss · balderdash · bosh

Translations (30)

ru болтовня́ (nonsense, foolish talk) · it stupidaggini (nonsense, foolish talk) · fr déconnage (nonsense, foolish talk) · es chapurreo (nonsense, foolish talk) · cs kecy (nonsense, foolish talk) · fi höpinä (nonsense, foolish talk) · ru чепуха́ (nonsense, foolish talk) · fr bafouillage (nonsense, foolish talk) · fr logorrhée (nonsense, foolish talk) · fi höpötys (nonsense, foolish talk) · es jerga (nonsense, foolish talk) · es jerigonza (nonsense, foolish talk) · cs žvásty (nonsense, foolish talk) · fr baragouin (nonsense, foolish talk) · fr diarrhée verbale (nonsense, foolish talk) · ru вздор (nonsense, foolish talk) · de Unsinn (nonsense, foolish talk) · fr jargon (nonsense, foolish talk) · es parloteo (nonsense, foolish talk) · es chamullo (nonsense, foolish talk) · cs nesmysly (nonsense, foolish talk) · de Quatsch (nonsense, foolish talk) · bg глупости (nonsense, foolish talk) · de Blödsinn (nonsense, foolish talk) · it scemenze (nonsense, foolish talk) · cy malu awyr (nonsense, foolish talk) · fr babil (nonsense, foolish talk) · es cháchara (nonsense, foolish talk) · pt conversa fútil (nonsense, foolish talk) · it sciocchezze (nonsense, foolish talk)

piffle en · VERB

Pronunciation

• /ˈpɪf.əl/ (UK, US)
• (Australia) audio

Etymology

Unknown, 1847. Perhaps blend of piddle + trifle, perhaps puff (“(onomatopoeia, puff of air)”) + -le (“diminutive”).

Meanings

1. To act or speak in a futile, ineffective, or nonsensical manner.
2. To waste, to fritter away.
3. (dated) To be squeamish or delicate.

Forms

Deriveds

piffler

Synonyms

trifle (act or speak in a futile manner) · twaddle (act or speak in a futile manner)

Translations (28)

de schwatzen (to act or speak in a futile, ineffective, or nonsensical manner) · fi hölmöillä (to act or speak in a futile, ineffective, or nonsensical manner) · bg говоря глупости (to act or speak in a futile, ineffective, or nonsensical manner) · it chiacchierare (to act or speak in a futile, ineffective, or nonsensical manner) · fr jargonner (to act or speak in a futile, ineffective, or nonsensical manner) · es chacharear (to act or speak in a futile, ineffective, or nonsensical manner) · es chapurrar (to act or speak in a futile, ineffective, or nonsensical manner) · cs žvanit (to act or speak in a futile, ineffective, or nonsensical manner) · cs kecat (to act or speak in a futile, ineffective, or nonsensical manner) · es chapurrear (to act or speak in a futile, ineffective, or nonsensical manner) · ru болта́ть вздор (to act or speak in a futile, ineffective, or nonsensical manner) · de plappern (to act or speak in a futile, ineffective, or nonsensical manner) · pl mówić bzdury (to act or speak in a futile, ineffective, or nonsensical manner) · fr babiller (to act or speak in a futile, ineffective, or nonsensical manner) · es chamullar (to act or speak in a futile, ineffective, or nonsensical manner) · fr déconner (to act or speak in a futile, ineffective, or nonsensical manner) · fr péter les plombs (to act or speak in a futile, ineffective, or nonsensical manner) · pl zachowywać się głupio (to act or speak in a futile, ineffective, or nonsensical manner) · fr vaticiner (to act or speak in a futile, ineffective, or nonsensical manner) · it cicalare (to act or speak in a futile, ineffective, or nonsensical manner) · cs plácat (to act or speak in a futile, ineffective, or nonsensical manner) · es parlotear (to act or speak in a futile, ineffective, or nonsensical manner) · de quasseln (to act or speak in a futile, ineffective, or nonsensical manner) · ru нести́ чушь (to act or speak in a futile, ineffective, or nonsensical manner) · de quatschen (to act or speak in a futile, ineffective, or nonsensical manner) · fi höperehtiä (to act or speak in a futile, ineffective, or nonsensical manner) · fr baragouiner (to act or speak in a futile, ineffective, or nonsensical manner) · es farfullar (to act or speak in a futile, ineffective, or nonsensical manner)