Bullshit

Bullshit. There's no better word for things that sound true or plausible but have no connection to or no support in reality or any attempt by the speaker to make that connection. The metaphor is weak but it captures the feeling of the realization about what someone else has said.

Usually a statement is called bullshit if it stretches the bounds of plausibility. If it turns out to be a falsehood, it is considered a lie. Harry Frankfurt wrote an entire book on the subject, trying to solidify it (ugh, metaphors) as a statement by a person who is not intentionally trying to lie but rather has no concern at all for its truth value. That is, a bullshitter doesn't care whether a statement is true or false. Frankfurt is a philosopher and is trying to shoehorn a word into his own internal concept or into one that is more logically amenable, which is to say I think that usage is charitable. A bullshitter is trying to lie; if the statement turns out true, they would be surprised.

But the label is problematic. Bullshit is a little taboo (or a lot given the context). What are the alternatives? There are many but they have their problems, too.

All the following words fit the syntactic pattern, in response to something said, "That's X".

The first category is the anachronistic nonsense words:

• balderdash
• bosh
• bunk
• bunkum
• claptrap
• codswallop
• fiddlesticks
• flapdoodle
• folderol
• guff
• hokum
• hooey
• malarkey
• piffle
• poppycock
• tosh
• tommyrot

What do any of these words mean? They're entirely opaque nonsense words, made up by someone long ago out of random sounds to sound like what they're describing. Another thing they all have in common is that currently (and for the past fifty years at least) no one in their right mind would utter these in sincerity, given that they sound like an old man smoking a cigar mincing an oath. All of these words are idiomatic, inexplicable. This description is almost the meaning, which may be the originally intended psychological effect.

Moving closer to reality, the next is the most populated category (and likely most thought of if not used), the actual shit category. Shit itself really isn't (metaphorical) bullshit - metaphorical shit is just worthless, but metaphorical bullshit is a damned lie. Many are minced (crap for shit), but at least they are analyzable.

• bullshit
• crap
• crock (of shit)
• horseshit
• horsetwaddle
• horsefeathers - minced horseshit, so to speak
• twaddle

Now there are real, relatable but still not literal, for mixed up messes, trash or sausage metaphors:

• garbage
• hogwash - sounds like nonsense to me but actually is pig slop.
• rubbish
• baloney

Actual literal non-onomatopoeic words that are close in meaning but just not quite bullshit and still somewhat old fashioned:

• blather
• bombast
• drivel
• trumpery

And finally the list of actual, literal words:

• nonsense

Of all the lists of related words I've seen for bullshit, 'nonsense' is the only direct literal word for it.

And that is the real problem here. Bullshit is not nonsense. Nonsense is words that make no sense. Bullshit makes sense, may be true or not, but may be misleading. Word salad (a salad made of words), gibbering (of an idiot), unconnected train of thought (of someone distracted) are all nonsense. Bullshit makes sense entirely. Just the intention (or reception) is different from usual truth valued statements.

Therefore there is no good alternative to bullshit.