furphy
/ˈfəːfi
/noun (plural furphies) Australian informal
A rumour or story, especially one that is untrue or absurd: I remembered the schoolyard furphies about sewer gangs...
- Museum Manager-Curator, Capt Linda Graham, believes the story is a furphy.
- Simon Moglia from Victoria Legal Aid says it's a furphy to suggest the powers are not over-reaching.
- No, and really, it is a bit of a furphy to suggest that it does.
Origin
First World War: from the name painted on water and sanitary carts manufactured by the Furphy family of Shepparton, Victoria; during the war they became popular as a place where soldiers exchanged gossip, often when visiting the latrines.