boloney: meaning, definition, pronunciation and examples
C1Informal, Slang
Quick answer
What does “boloney” mean?
Nonsense.
Audio
Pronunciation
Definition
Meaning and Definition
Nonsense; foolish or deceptive talk.
Can also refer to pretentious nonsense or something that is patently untrue, often used to express strong disagreement or dismissal.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
The spelling 'baloney' is vastly more common in American English. 'Boloney' is an accepted but less frequent variant in both regions, but more likely to be encountered in UK contexts than in the US.
Connotations
The term carries the same dismissive, slightly brusque connotation in both varieties. It is not highly offensive but can sound unsophisticated.
Frequency
Both spellings are relatively low-frequency words in modern corpora, used more in spoken than written discourse. In the UK, if used, 'boloney' may be the slightly more common spelling; in the US, 'baloney' is the standard.
Grammar
How to Use “boloney” in a Sentence
That's (absolutely/utter) ~Don't talk ~What a load of ~Vocabulary
Collocations
Examples
Examples of “boloney” in a Sentence
verb
British English
- He's just boloneying to avoid the real issue.
American English
- Don't try to boloney your way out of this one.
adjective
British English
- That's a boloney argument if I ever heard one.
American English
- He gave some boloney excuse about traffic.
Usage
Meaning in Context
Business
Very rare; would be seen as highly informal and potentially unprofessional in serious business writing.
Academic
Extremely rare and inappropriate for formal academic writing due to its informal, slang nature.
Everyday
Used in informal conversation to reject an idea strongly, e.g., 'His excuse for being late was total boloney.'
Technical
Not used in technical contexts.
Watch out
Common Mistakes When Using “boloney”
- Spelling: Confusing it with 'bologna' (the sausage/city).
- Using it in formal writing where 'nonsense' or 'falsehood' would be more appropriate.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
It is a slang term derived from 'bologna', a type of sausage, used metaphorically to suggest something of little value or substance, i.e., nonsense.
It is informal and dismissive, but not generally considered a swear word or highly offensive. It is more brusque than polite.
They are variant spellings of the same slang word. 'Baloney' is significantly more common, especially in American English. 'Boloney' is a less common alternative.
Yes, but it is a non-standard, phonetic spelling for 'bologna' (the sausage). The slang meaning for 'nonsense' is by far the more common modern use of the 'boloney' spelling.
Nonsense.
Boloney is usually informal, slang in register.
Boloney: in British English it is pronounced /bəˈləʊni/, and in American English it is pronounced /bəˈloʊni/. Tap the audio buttons above to hear it.
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “A load of boloney”
- “That's a lot of boloney”
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Think of a Bologna sausage (the source of the word). If someone's talk is as insubstantial and processed as cheap luncheon meat, it's 'boloney'.
Conceptual Metaphor
FALSEHOOD IS A WORTHLESS FOOD PRODUCT / DECEPTION IS LOW-QUALITY MEAT.
Practice
Quiz
In which context would using the word 'boloney' be MOST appropriate?