Learn English – One word for a thing that doesn’t make sense

obscure-termssingle-word-requests

Is there a word for a thing that doesn't make sense, a shiny alternative to 'nonsense'?

I want to use it like: <-new-word>> politics, meaning stupid, nonsense politics.

Update: by 'shiny' I mean't non-vulgar, non-tongue-twister word.

Best Answer

Depending on what you want with shiny, rare words with funny pronunciation and euphemisms could be used. With a rare word, the listener might feel less verbal violence than with a mere "crap". I suggest hokum:

a euphemism for nonsense (from Wiki disambiguation); Something apparently impressive or legitimate but actually untrue or insincere; nonsense (urban dictionary)

or folderal (alternative writings: folderol, falderal), which has an ornamental property (shiny enough?):

nonsense, ornamental objects of no great value (Merriam Webster), from a nonsensical line in old ballads

Finally, in France, abracadabrantesque was almost forgotten, and was resurrected during a political interview. The word comes from authors and poets Mario Proth, Théophile Gautier and Arthur Rimbaud. It looks like poetry, and it is, so maybe more acceptable. It refers to magic (same root as abracadabra) turned into an adjective and superlative. This word was almost forgotten for a century. Then, a former president used it in an interview (Chirac ou l'histoire abracadabrantesque). The journalist wanted to bring a question on a posthumous testimony about his alleged frauds. He used this word to characterize the whole story as "utter nonsense", suggesting it was made-up. The forgotten word has now come to use for the pleasure of many, especially journalists.

Here are some uses for the words above, mainly webpage titles. Opinions are not mine:

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