poppycock [M19th] The English language has any number of curious words for ‘nonsense’, such as balderdash [L16th] of unknown origins, and *codswallop, claptrap [E19th], and piffle [M19th] from the sound. Poppycock was originally Dutch, and comes from pappekak, which meant ‘doll’s excrement’. Another such term is bosh, a Turkish word meaning ‘empty, worthless’ which was popularized by its frequent use in James Morier’s highly successful 1834 novel Ayesha, the Maid of Kar.