Am I the last person to use the word malarkey? I was just "accused" of being a Yankee (?!) when I used it. What a bunch of malarkey! Will someone out there kindly share the etymology?

Thanks for the answer Max, and michaelo, I use 'malarkey' too!

I'm British. My next question is why someone should accuse you of being Yankee because you use this word?

>>why someone should accuse you of being Yankee because you use this word?

Here's a conjecture based on a faint memory that may have
been nothing more than a rumor (gee, is that enough of a
disclaimer??): I have always thought that malarkey was
Irish in origin. Most of the Irish immigrants to the U.S.
settled in the northeast, where the Yankees are.

gadzooks! what an odd lot of words we have for the concept of BS: balderdash, blatherskite (see BS ;), bunkum, bushwa (see BS!), guff, hogwash, hooey, poppycock, twaddle, applesauce, baloney, hokum, flubdub, claptrap -- what nonsense!

Yes, we have a lot of words for BS, but look at the large selection of words for a "dishonorable" woman: prostitute, whore, bawd, call girl, camp follower, courtesan, harlot, hussy, scarlet woman, streetwalker, strumpet, tart, hooker, moll, baggage, jade, slattern, slut, tramp, wanton, wench, floozy. My, look at all the perversion this language has faced. I hope that didn't offend anyone.