Definition

Noun: * Pretentious or silly talk or writing; nonsense. Refers to speech or text that is foolish, meaningless, or absurdly pompous.

Usage

• Tosh is an informal, slightly old-fashioned British English term used to express strong disagreement with or dismissal of what someone has said or written. It implies that the statement is not just wrong, but is particularly silly or pretentious nonsense.
• It is typically used as an uncountable noun.

Examples

• "That's absolute tosh! The data clearly shows the opposite."
• "He dismissed the entire article as pretentious tosh."
• "Don't listen to him; he's talking complete tosh."

Advanced Usage

• "a load of (old) tosh": A common, emphatic phrase meaning a large amount of nonsense.
  • The politician's promises were just a load of old tosh.

Variants and Related Words

• Tosher (noun, informal, rare): A person who talks nonsense.

Synonyms

• Nonsense
• Rubbish (chiefly British)
• Balderdash
• Drivel
• Twaddle
• Gibberish
• Poppycock

Antonyms

• Sense
• Truth
• Fact
• Wisdom

Related Idioms and Phrases

• "a load of tosh": As described in 'Advanced Usage'.

Noun

1. pretentious or silly talk or writing