Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun Nonsense; rubbish.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun UK, slang Senseless talk or writing; nonsense.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun nonsensical talk or writing

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Origin unknown.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

Unknown, attested from 1959 episode of UK TV series Hancock’s Half Hour. The writers (Galton and Simpson) state that the phrase was in general use when the show was broadcast. A national TV appeal in the UK in 2006 failed to find earlier references. Originally written (1963) codswallop, spelling cod's wallop is later.

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  • NOUN: Chiefly British Slang Nonsense; rubbish.

    ETYMOLOGY: Origin unknown.

    June 5, 2007

  • This is pretty much the same as poppycock.

    June 6, 2007

  • True, but this one conjures up the nice mental imagery of whacking someone with a fish, whereas poppycock is an entirely different beast.

    June 21, 2007

  • snack commented on the list aubreys-brief-lives

    cod's-head n. mid 16th-19th cent. a dupe, or fool; thus the fool's head, often the 'thickness' of the cod's-head, noting mid 17th cent use of cods meaning testicles, thus cod'shead or codshead, penis

    June 8, 2016