Word of the day: Gobbledygook

“Gobbledygook” is the word of the day, used to describe talk or writing that sounds fancy but makes little sense. The word “gobbledygook” appeared in 12 New York Times articles in the past year, showing it is still popular today. It was used on July 17 in the article “‘Eddington’ Review: Once Upon a Time in the Pandemic” by Alissa Wilkinson, as stated by NYT.

It means an overcomplicated and pompous official language that is hard to understand, as per Etymonline. The word was first used in 1944 by Texas politician Maury Maverick during World War II.

Maverick hated confusing government language and banned “gobbledygook” words in official writing. Maverick said he made the word by copying the sound of a turkey, “gobble gobble.”


Another word with the same idea, “bafflegab,” was coined a few years later in 1952. “Gobbledygook” is still used to call out confusing language, especially during times of crisis when clear facts matter most, as noted by Etymonline.

Meaning of the word Gobbledygook

Gobbledygook is when someone uses big, fancy, or official words that are hard to understand, even though the idea is actually simple.

People use gobbledygook to:

• Sound smart
• Hide the truth
• Confuse others
• Avoid giving a clear answer

Example: Instead of saying: “We will start the plan next week.”

They say: “The implementation of the strategic framework will be initiated in the coming period.”

That long, confusing sentence is gobbledygook.

How to use word Gobbledygook in a sentence:

1. The teacher said the report was full of gobbledygook and hard to understand.
2. The politician spoke for 10 minutes, but it was all gobbledygook.
3. I stopped reading the email because it was written in gobbledygook.
4. The rules were explained in gobbledygook, so no one knew what to do.
5. He used gobbledygook to sound smart, but he said nothing useful.

FAQs

Q1. Why is the word “gobbledygook” in the news?

Because The New York Times used the word many times recently, including in a story about confusing information during the pandemic.

Q2. Where did the word “gobbledygook” come from?

It was created in 1944 by a Texas politician who disliked confusing government language.