rigmarole

• POS: Noun
• HYPHEN: rig=ma=role

CIDE DICTIONARY

rigmarole, n. [For ragman roll. See Ragman's roll.].

 A succession of confused or nonsensical statements; foolish talk; nonsense.  [1913 Webster]
"Often one's dear friend talks something which one scruples to call rigmarole."  [1913 Webster]

rigmarole, a. 

 Consisting of rigmarole; frivolous; nonsensical; foolish.  [1913 Webster]

OXFORD DICTIONARY

rigmarole, n.
1 a lengthy and complicated procedure.
2 a a rambling or meaningless account or tale. b such talk.

Etymology

orig. ragman roll = a catalogue, of unkn. orig.

THESAURUS

rigmarole

absurdity, amphigory, babble, babblement, balderdash, bibble-babble, blabber, blather, bombast, claptrap, double-talk, drivel, drool, fiddle-faddle, fiddledeedee, flummery, folderol, fudge, fustian, gabble, galimatias, gammon, gibber, gibberish, gibble-gabble, gobbledygook, hocus-pocus, humbug, jabber, jargon, mumbo jumbo, narrishkeit, niaiserie, nonsense, pack of nonsense, palaver, prate, prattle, rant, rigamarole, rodomontade, rubbish, skimble-skamble, stuff and nonsense, stultiloquence, trash, trumpery, twaddle, twattle, twiddle-twaddle, vaporing, waffling

ROGET THESAURUS

rigmarole

Unmeaningness

N meaninglessness, unmeaningness, scrabble, empty sound, dead letter, vox et praeterea nihil, a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing, sounding brass and a tinkling cymbal, nonsense, utter nonsense, gibberish, jargon, jabber, mere words, hocus-pocus, fustian, rant, bombast, balderdash, palaver, flummery, verbiage, babble, baverdage, baragouin, platitude, niaiserie, inanity, flap-doodle, rigmarole, rodomontade, truism, nugae canorae, twaddle, twattle, fudge, trash, garbage, humbug, poppy-cock, stuff, stuff and nonsense, bosh, rubbish, moonshine, wish-wash, fiddle- faddle, absurdity, vagueness, boilerplate, clich_¬, unmeaning, meaningless, senseless, nonsensical, void of sense, inexpressive, unexpressive, vacant, not significant, insignificant, trashy, washy, trumpery, trivial, fiddle-faddle, twaddling, quibbling, unmeant, not expressed, tacit, inexpressible, undefinable, incommunicable.