phony ru

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

    The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • 2phony — pho ny (f[=o] n[=e]), n. something or someone that is phony. [Also spelled {phoney}.] [PJC] …

    The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • 3phony — (adj.) not genuine, 1900, phoney, perhaps an alteration of FAWNEY (Cf. fawney) gilt brass ring used by swindlers. The noun meaning phony person or thing is attested from 1902 …

    Etymology dictionary

  • 4phony — index bogus, fictitious, fraudulent, imitation, specious Burton s Legal Thesaurus. William C. Burton. 2006 …

    Law dictionary

  • 5phony — adj *counterfeit, spurious, bogus, fake, sham, pseudo, pinchbeck …

    New Dictionary of Synonyms

  • 6phony — [adj] fake, false affected, artificial, assumed, bogus, counterfeit, forged, imitation, pseudo, put on*, sham*, spurious, trick; concept 582 Ant. genuine, real, sincere …

    New thesaurus

  • 7-phony — [fə nē, fō′nē] [< Gr phōnē, a sound: see PHONO ] combining form forming nouns a (specified kind of) sound [polyphony] …

    English World dictionary

  • 8phony — ☆ phony [fō′nē ] adj. phonier, phoniest [altered < Brit thieves argot fawney, gilt ring (passed off as gold by swindlers) < Ir fáinne] Informal not genuine; false, counterfeit, spurious, pretentious, etc. n. pl. phonies Informal 1.… …

    English World dictionary

  • 9phony — 1. mod. bogus; fake. □ This money looks phony to me. □ I can’t stand phony vanilla flavoring. 2. n. someone or something bogus. □ That guy is a real phony! □ Look …

    Dictionary of American slang and colloquial expressions

  • 10phony — I. adjective also phoney (phonier; est) Etymology: perhaps alteration of fawney gilded brass ring used in the fawney rig, a confidence game, from Irish fáinne ring, from Old Irish ánne more at anus Date: 1900 not genuine or real: as a. (1)… …

    New Collegiate Dictionary