flapdoodle
Nonsense; empty talk you shouldn't swallow.
Updated September 21, 2026
flapdoodle pronunciation
/FLAP-doo-dul/
Meaning
What you call a story that is pure foolishness. Old joke had it as "the stuff they feed fools on." On a Southern porch it works the same as hogwash or fiddle-faddle: a sharp, funny way to say somebody is peddling bunk. You hear it when a salesman or a rumor gets too thick.
How folks use it
- “Don't swallow that flapdoodle about the creek drying up forever.”
- “His campaign speech was nothing but flapdoodle.”
Origin and etymology
American nonsense word from the early 1800s. Captain Frederick Marryat used it around 1833 as "the stuff they feed fools on," and U.S. newspapers soon piled on. Exact roots are murky; dictionaries call it an arbitrary formation, maybe playing off doodle (fool) and older fadoodle. It stuck in colorful American talk, including rural Southern brush-offs.
Frequently asked questions
Is flapdoodle the same as fiddle-faddle?
Close cousins. Both mean nonsense. Flapdoodle leans a little harder toward bunk you are being fed.