phoney

phoney — pho ney (f[=o] n[=e]), a. [Also spelled {phony}.] [Compar. {phonier}; superl. {phoniest}.] 1. imitating something superior; intended to deceive; fraudulent; having a misleading appearance; not genuine; counterfeit; fake; as, a phoney diamond; a… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

phoney — an informal word meaning ‘sham, fake’ (adjective and noun), is of uncertain origin and not traced in print before 1900. Its currency was greatly boosted by the use of the term phoney war to refer to the relative inaction in the early months of… …   Modern English usage

phoney — pho ney (f[=o] n[=e]), n. something or someone that is phony. [Also spelled {phony}.] [PJC] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

phoney — (also phony) informal ► ADJECTIVE (phonier, phoniest) ▪ not genuine. ► NOUN (pl. phoneys or phonies) ▪ a fraudulent person or thing. DERIVATIVES phonily adverb …   English terms dictionary

phoney — ☆ phoney [fō′nē ] adj., n. alt. sp. of PHONY: the preferred Brit. sp …   English World dictionary

phoney — [[t]fo͟ʊni[/t]] phoneys also phony 1) ADJ GRADED (disapproval) If you describe something as phoney, you disapprove of it because it is false rather than genuine. [INFORMAL] He d telephoned with some phoney excuse she didn t believe for a minute …   English dictionary

phoney — UK [ˈfəʊnɪ] / US [ˈfoʊnɪ] adjective Word forms phoney : adjective phoney comparative phonier superlative phoniest informal 1) not real and intended to trick people a phoney ID card 2) someone who is phoney pretends to be friendly, clever, kind… …   English dictionary

phoney — also phony AmE adjective informal 1 false or not real, and intended to deceive someone; fake: a phoney British accent | I gave the police a phoney address. 2 someone who is phoney pretends to be good, clever, kind etc when they are not phoney… …   Longman dictionary of contemporary English

phoney — pho|ney also phony AmE [ˈfəuni US ˈfou ] adj informal 1.) false or not real, and intended to deceive someone = ↑fake ▪ a phoney American accent 2.) someone who is phoney is insincere and pretends to be something they are not >phoney n …   Dictionary of contemporary English

phoney — 1. informal; adjective a phoney address Syn: bogus, false, fake, fraudulent, counterfeit, forged, imitation, affected, insincere; informal pretend; Brit.; informal cod Ant: authentic 2 …   Synonyms and antonyms dictionary

phoney — 1. adjective 1900 Fraudulent; fake; having a misleading appearance. A good jeweler should be able to tell a real stone from a phoney one. Syn: bogus, counterfeit, fake 2. noun …   Wiktionary