bogus : M-W's Word of the Day

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The Word of the Day for December 2 is:

bogus \BOH-gus\ adjective
: not genuine : counterfeit, sham

Example sentence:
Kelly knew that the letter informing her that she was a grand prize winner was bogus, so she threw it in the trash right away.

Did you know?
Despite its recent slang connotations, "bogus" has actually been a part of the English language since the early 1800s. Not only was the word coined then, it was actually doing some coining of its own, so to speak. Back then, a "bogus" was a machine used to make counterfeit coins. No one knows for sure how this coin-copying contraption got its name, but before long "bogus" had also become a popular noun for funny money itself or for a fraudulent imitation of any kind. The more general "phony" adjective followed shortly thereafter. Perhaps due to the word's appearance in a number of quotable motion pictures, "bogus" earned momentary popularity among younger speakers as a term for expressing disapproval.

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