"put together clumsily or dishonestly," by 1771 (perhaps from 17c.); perhaps an alteration of fadge "make suit, fit" (1570s), a verb of unknown origin. The verb fudge later had an especial association with sailors and log books. The traditional story of the origin of the interjection fudge "lies! nonsense!" (1766; see fudge (n.2)) traces it to a sailor's retort to anything considered lies or nonsense, from Captain Fudge, "who always brought home his owners a good cargo of lies" [Isaac Disraeli, 1791, citing a pamphlet from 1700]. It seems there really was a late 17c. Captain Fudge, called "Lying Fudge," and perhaps his name reinforced this form of fadge in the sense of "contrive without the necessary materials." The surname is from Fuche, a pet form of the masc. proper name Fulcher, from Germanic and meaning literally "people-army."
fudge (n.1)
type of confection, 1895, American English, apparently a word first used among students at women's colleges; perhaps a special use from fudge (v.) or its noun derivative, via the notion of "insubstantial" or of something "faked-up" on the spot. The verb was used in school slang, and compare fudge (n.) "a made-up story" (1797).
'He lies,' answered Lord Etherington, 'so far as he pretends I know of such papers. I consider the whole story as froth — foam, fudge, or whatever is most unsubstantial. ...' [Scott, "St. Ronan's Well," 1823]
fudge (n.2)
"nonsense, rubbish," (1791), earlier and more usually as a contemptuous interjection, "lies! nonsense!" Probably a natural extension from fudge (v.) "put together clumsily or dishonestly," q.v. But Farmer suggests provincial French fuche, feuche, "an exclamation of contempt from Low German futsch = begone."
Trends of fudge
adapted from books.google.com/ngrams/. Ngrams are probably unreliable.
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candylate 13c., "crystallized sugar," from Old French çucre candi "sugar candy," ultimately from Arabic qandi, from Persian qand "cane sugar," probably from Sanskrit khanda "piece (of sugar)," perhaps from Dravidian (compare Tamil kantu "candy," kattu "to harden, condense"). The sense
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updated on August 18, 2020
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FAQs
fudge (v.)
What is the origin of the word fudge? ›
The term fudge is said to have originated in the 17th century from the verb fadge and means "to fit together in a clumsy manner".
How to find the etymology of a word? ›
For the immediate ancestry of an English word, however, your first stop should be the Oxford English Dictionary (OED). The recorded ancestors of an English word can usually be found within the entry for that word in the OED online [Harvard Key required] or in the print version of the OED (2nd ed., 1989).
What is fudge slang for? ›
1. : foolish nonsense. often used interjectionally to express annoyance, disappointment, or disbelief.
What is the root word for enough? ›
English word enough comes from Middle English y-, Proto-Germanic *ga-, Proto-Germanic *nōgaz, and later Proto-Germanic *ganōgaz (Enough, sufficient.)
What is the bad word for fudge? ›
Minced oaths are commonly formed by alteration of a curse word. It often alters the ending of the word, such as "darn" for "damn", or "fudge" for "f*ck".
What do Americans call fudge? ›
Fudge is a rich, chocolate candy made with plenty of sugar, cream, and butter. Fudge is usually cut into squares and eaten in small quantities. While fudge comes in many different flavors, it's usually chocolate. In the US, another kind of fudge is smooth, melted chocolate that can be poured over the top of ice cream.
What is the meaning of Etymonline? ›
The Online Etymology Dictionary or Etymonline, sometimes abbreviated as OED (not to be confused with the Oxford English Dictionary, which the site often cites), is a free online dictionary that describes the origins of English words, written and compiled by Douglas R. Harper. Online Etymology Dictionary.
Is etymonline reliable? ›
About as accurate as the Oxford English Dictionary (OED), which is as accurate as one can get; the difference is that the OED costs money to view, while the OEtyD does not.
What is the best dictionary for etymology? ›
The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology.
The exact origin and inventor of this delicious confection are hotly debated. However, many believe the first batch of fudge was created by accident when American bakers “fudged” a batch of caramels. Hence the name “fudge.”
What is the alternate meaning of fudge? ›
fudge (verb as in fake, misrepresent) Strongest matches. evade exaggerate falsify overstate.
What is fudge in britain? ›
Living in England, Scotland, Wales, and many US states. Author has 3.2K answers and 640.9K answer views. · 1y. As a noun, “fudge” is a soft solid sweet made from sugar and milk from which most of the liquid is evaporated off. As a verb, it is an informal way of saying perform something badly or clumsily.
What is enough is enough in hebrew? ›
The word "dayenu" means approximately "it would have been enough", "it would have been sufficient", or "it would have sufficed" (day in Hebrew is "enough", and -enu the first person plural suffix, "to us").
What is a stronger word for enough? ›
Some common synonyms of enough are adequate, competent, and sufficient.
What is another word for enough is enough? ›
Enough is enough means no more will be tolerated. Another way to say this is I am fed up , I am sick of this , I am tired , I had enough now , stop this .
Where did the term fudging come from? ›
The origin of the verb to fudge is lost in the mists of the 17th century: some say it derives from the archaic fadge, ''to agree'' or ''to fit pieces together''; others point to the chance of echoic variation of the German futsch, ''gone, ruined''; Isaac D'Israeli, Ben's father, speculated that fudge is an eponym of ...
What is the name fudge short for? ›
English (of Norman origin): from the Middle English, Anglo-Norman French personal name Fulch or Fuche, usually a pet form of Old French Fulcher, Fucher (see Fulcher ). Voicing of 'ch' to soft 'g' gave rise to Fudge.
Why does fudge mean lie? ›
The traditional story of the origin of the interjection fudge "lies! nonsense!" (1766; see fudge (n. 2)) traces it to a sailor's retort to anything considered lies or nonsense, from Captain Fudge, "who always brought home his owners a good cargo of lies" [Isaac Disraeli, 1791, citing a pamphlet from 1700].
