Etymology - interesting word history

[Pat McCotter]

I was reading an article on a Australian website and came across the word "furphy."

"This figure is often a complete furphy, misleading and sometimes downright false."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Furphy

A furphy, also commonly spelled furfie, is Australian slang for a rumour, or an erroneous or improbable story.

The word is derived from water carts made by a company established by John Furphy: J. Furphy & Sons of Shepparton, Victoria. Many Furphy water carts were used to take water to Australian Army personnel during World War I. The carts, with "J. Furphy & Sons" written on their tanks, became popular as gathering places where soldiers could exchange gossip, rumours and fanciful tales -- much like today's water cooler discussion.

Another suggested explanation is that the rumbling of an approaching water cart sounded like the firing of artillery, thus causing a false alarm.

It is possible that the word was also influenced by John Furphy's equally prominent brother, the popular 19th century Australian author, Joseph Furphy (1843-1913). However, Joseph was generally published under the pseudonym "Tom Collins".

Scuttlebutt has a similar etymology, a scuttlebutt originally being a cask of drinking water on a ship.

This leads to scuttlebutt
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scuttlebutt

Water for immediate consumption on a sailing ship was conventionally stored in a scuttled butt: a butt (cask or small barrel) which had been scuttled by making a hole in it so the water could be withdrawn. Since sailors exchanged gossip when they gathered at the scuttlebutt for a drink of water, scuttlebutt became Navy slang for gossip or rumors.

Which brings us to the modern day habit of rumor-mongering at the water cooler.

[Pat K]