411 REFERENCE · Wiktionary
Irish bull
Reference material by Wiktionary contributors. This retains its source identity and is not 411 news reporting.
English
Etymology
en
Noun
A ludicrous, incongruent or logically absurd statement.
en October 1, 1878 Lord Dundreary w:John Oxenford The Theater: A Monthly Review and Magazine London Wyman & Sons 1 198–199 https://books.google.com/books?id=p4s5AQAAIAAJ&pg=PA198&dq=%22Dundrearyism%22&hl=&cd=18&source=gbs_api#v=onepage&q=%22Dundrearyism%22&f=false Like the argot once confined to a class, some of his phrases have become part of the general idiom. A Dundrearyism can be recognized as soon as uttered, like an Irish bull.
See also
en blarney