Schleb

Schleb

Schleb (mass noun) may mean any of the following:

(1.) the name for an often-useless piece of information which adds no real contextual value to a conversation and/or is untrue. Such pieces of information may actually detract from conversation, or in rare cases, lead to illness and death (see (2)).

(2.) a term of originally medical slang, but now also as a degrading insult to describe a compulsive lier: such people find it eventually impossible to tell the truth if they have been afflicted with the condition for their entire life. Has been known to be linked with dementia. At the time of publication, no cure has been diagnosed.

(3.) (Archaic verb) to trick and deceive but without malicious intent. The word is an amalgamation and contraction of the verb "Shebulate," a word first seen in F. Scott Fitzgerald's 1925 work "The Great Gatsby."

DERIVATIVES:
Romanesque Latin: from "Slebbitus" meaning "dastardly, spiteful" and "Slebulus" meaning "deceitful" (noun). 16th C. and 20th C. use from Marlowe and Fitzgerald respectively. Also used by Top Gear presenter William Woollard on a 1983 show. Allegedly he found the word so appealing, he went on to name (or at least nickname) his son after it.

(1.) A: "Did you know I won a 1925 edition of a Ducati 175
Cruiser motorbike from a raffle ticket I found on the
inside of my can of Scotch?

B: "Well... Ducati wasn't founded until 1926 and you know it.
That's just complete schleb you're speaking!"

(2.) "I'm sorry madam... there's no hope for your son; he's
a Schleb."

(3.) "Anastasia, for the last time! You're shebulating with me
again! Right, that's it - I'm taking you to court to press
charges for sexual deviancy!"

by OED online October 21, 2010

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