Online Etymology Dictionary

nonsense: 1614, from non- + sense.
horsefeathers: "nonsense," 1928, said to have been coined by U.S. cartoonist Billy De Beck; perhaps a variant of horseshit "nonsense," though the latter is attested only from 1940s.
no-nonsense: "not tolerating foolishness, businesslike," 1928," from phrase to stand no nonsense, which is attested from 1821, originally in sporting slang.
bunk (2): "nonsense," 1900, short for bunkum, phonetic spelling of Buncombe, a county in North Carolina. The usual story of its origin is this: At the close of the protracted Missouri statehood debates, on Feb. 25, 1820, N.C. Representative Felix Walker began what promised to be a "long, dull, irrelevant speech," and he resisted calls to cut it short by saying he was bound to say something that could appear in the newspapers in the home district and prove he was on the job. "I shall not be speaking to the House," he confessed, "but to Buncombe." Bunkum has been Amer.Eng. slang for "nonsense" since 1847.
limerick: nonsense verse of five lines, 1896, perhaps from the county and city in Ireland, but if so the connection is obscure. It is usually attributed to a party game in which each guest in turn made up a nonsense verse and all sang a refrain with the line "Will you come up to Limerick?" Or perhaps from Learic, from Edward Lear (1812-88) English humorist who popularized the form. Earliest examples are in French, which further complicates the quest for the origin. First record of the word is in a letter of Aubrey Beardsley. The place name is lit. "bare ground," from Ir. Liumneach, from lom "bare, thin."
hooey: "nonsense, foolishness," 1924, of unknown origin.
doo-wop: 1969, from the nonsense harmony phrases sung under the vocal lead.
scat (2): "nonsense patter sung to jazz," 1926, probably of imitative origin, from one of the syllables used.
guff: "empty talk, nonsense," 1888, from earlier sense of "puff of air" (1825), of imitative origin.
quark: 1964, applied by U.S. physicist Murray Gell-Mann (b.1929), who said he took it from a nonsense word in James Joyce's "Finnegans Wake" (1939).
flibbertigibbet: 1540s, "chattering gossip, flighty woman," probably a nonsense word meant to sound like fast talking; as the name of a devil or fiend it dates from c.1600.
bosh: "empty talk, nonsense," 1834, from Turkish, lit. "empty." Introduced in "Ayesha," popular romance novel by J.J. Morier (1780-1849).
Hottentot: 1677, from S.African Du., said to mean "stammerer," it is from hot en tot "hot and tot," nonsense words imitative of the clicking, jerking Khoisan speech.
bollocks: "testicles," 1744, see bollix. In British slang, as an ejaculation meaning "nonsense," recorded from 1919.
panjandrum: mock name for a pompous personage, 1755, invented by Samuel Foote (1720-77) to test the memory of actor old Macklin (who said he could repeat anything after hearing it once) in a long passage full of nonsense.
bebop: 1944, from bebop, rebop, bop, nonsense words in jazz lyrics, attested from at least 1928. The style is associated with Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie.
Jabberwocky: 1872, nonsense word (perhaps based on jabber) coined by Lewis Carroll, for the poem of the same name, which he published in "Through the Looking-Glass." The poem is about a fabulous beast called the Jabberwock.
runcible: 1871, a nonsense word coined by Edward Lear; used especially in runcible spoon "spoon with three short tines like a fork," which first took the name 1926.
bric-a-brac: 1840, from obsolete Fr. à bric et à brac (16c.) "at random, any old way," a nonsense phrase.
falderol: also falderal, folderol, 1701, nonsense refrain in songs; meaning "gewgaw, trifle" is attested from 1820.
blather: 1520s, Scottish, probably from a Scandinavian source such as O.N. blaðra "chatter, babble," blaðr "nonsense;" perhaps of imitative origin.
bippy: by late 1960s, "buttocks, ass," U.S. slang, the kind of thing that once sounded naughty on "Laugh-In." As it often was used with you bet your ... it may be nonsense chosen for alliteration, but there may be some whiff of bipedal in it.
claptrap: c.1730, "trick to 'catch' applause," a stage term; from clap (v.) + trap (n.). Extended sense of "cheap, showy language" is from 1819; hence "nonsense, rubbish."
baloney: slang for "nonsense," 1922, Amer.Eng. (popularized 1930s by N.Y. Gov. Alfred E. Smith), from earlier sense of "idiot" (perhaps influenced by blarney), usually regarded as being from bologna sausage, a type traditionally made from odds and ends.
hoochy koochy: "erotic suggestive women's dance" (involving a lot of hip-grinding), 1898, of obscure origin, usually associated, without evidence, with the Chicago world's fair of 1893 and belly-dancer Little Egypt (who may not even have been there), but the word itself is attested from 1890, as the stage name of minstrel singer "Hoochy-Coochy Rice," though its meaning there is unclear, perhaps a nonsense word.
blithering: 1889, from blither "to talk nonsense;" ultimately a variant of blather (q.v.).
fudge (n.): 1896, Amer.Eng., perhaps a special use of fudge (v.). Interjection is 1766 (Oh, fudge), and the n. meaning "nonsense" is 1791.
zoot suit: 1942, Amer.Eng. slang, the first element probably a nonsense reduplication of suit (cf. reet pleat, drape shape from the same jargon).
fad: 1834, "hobby, pet project;" 1881 as "fashion, craze," perhaps shortened from fiddle-faddle. Or perhaps from Fr. fadaise "trifle, nonsense," ult. from L. fatuus "stupid."
blither (v.): 1868, variant of blether "talk nonsense," 1520s, a northern British and Scottish word, from M.E. blather (see blather).
applesauce: by 1739, Amer.Eng., from apple + sauce. Slang meaning "nonsense" is attested from 1921 and was noted as a vogue word early 1920s. Mencken credits it to cartoonist T.A. ("Tad") Dorgan. DAS suggests the word was thus used because applesauce was cheap fare served in boardinghouses.
crud: "nonsense, rubbish," 1940, U.S. slang; originally 1920s army and college student slang for "venereal disease." Said to be a metathesis variant of curd, which actually makes it an unconscious return to the original M.E. form of that word (see curd). As G.I. name for "disease of any and every sort" it is attested from 1945.
dada: 1920, from Fr. dada "hobbyhorse," child's nonsense word, selected 1916 by Romanian poet Tristan Tzara, leader of the movement, for its resemblance to meaningless babble.
"Freedom: DADA DADA DADA, the howl of clashing colors, the intertwining of all contradictions, grotesqueries, trivialities: LIFE." [T. Tzara, "Dada Manifesto," 1918]
zilch: "nothing," 1966, from earlier sense of "meaningless speech" (1960), originally Mr. Zilch, (1931) comic character in the magazine "Ballyhoo." Perhaps from U.S. college slang (early 1900s) Joe Zilsch "an insignificant person." Probably a nonsense syllable, but Zilch is an actual Ger. surname of Slavic origin.
fib (n.): 1610s, of uncertain origin, perhaps from fibble-fable "nonsense" (1580s), a reduplication of fable. The verb is attested from 1680s. Related: Fibbed; fibber; fibbing.
amphigory: 1809, "burlesque nonsense writing or verse," from Fr. amphigouri, of unknown origin, perhaps from Gk. amphi- (q.v.) + gyros "circle," thus "circle on both sides," or second element may be from Gk. -agoria "speech" (cf. allegory, category).
burlesque: 1660s, "derisive imitation, grotesque parody," from Fr. burlesque (16c.), from It. burlesco, from burla "joke, fun, mockery," possibly ultimately from L.L. burra "trifle, nonsense," lit. "flock of wool." Modern sense of "variety show featuring striptease" is Amer.Eng., 1870. Originally (1857) "the sketches at the end of minstrel shows." As a verb, from 1670s.
la-la: nonsense refrain in songs, probably from O.E. la, a common exclamation; but la-la is imitative of babbling speech in many languages (cf. Gk. lalage "babble, prattle," Skt. lalalla "imitation of stammering" L. lallare "to sing to sleep, lull," Ger. lallen "to stammer," Lith. laluoti "to stammer").
vive (interj.): 1594 (in vive le roi), from Fr., lit. "long live ______;" Fr. equivalent of viva (q.v.). Jocular phrase vive la différence in ref. to the difference between men and women is recorded from 1963. Also in vive la bagatelle, lit. "long live nonsense," denoting a carefree attitude to life.
fuss (n.): 1701, perhaps an alteration of force, or imitative of bubbling or sputtering sounds, or from Dan. fjas "foolery, nonsense." First attested in Anglo-Irish writers, but no obvious connections to Irish. The verb is first attested 1792, from the noun. Related: Fussed; fussing. To make a fuss was earlier to keep a fuss (1726).
banana: 1590s, borrowed by Sp. or Port. from a W. African word, possibly Wolof banana. The plant introduced to the New World from Africa, 1516. Top banana, second banana, etc. are 1950s, from show business slang use of banana for "comedian, especially in a burlesque show." Banana split first attested 1920. Banana oil "nonsense" is slang from c.1910.
bullshit: "eloquent and insincere rhetoric," 1915, Amer.Eng. slang. Bull in the sense of "trivial or false statements" (1914) is usually associated with this, but it existed since M.E. in the sense of "false talk, fraud," apparently from O.Fr. bole "deception, trick, scheming, intrigue," and perhaps connected to modern Icel. bull "nonsense."
"Sais christ to ypocrites ... yee ar ... all ful with wickednes, tresun and bull." ["Cursor Mundi," c.1300]
There also was a verb bull meaning "to mock, cheat," which dates from 1530s.
work (v.): a fusion of O.E. wyrcan (past tense worhte, pp. geworht), from P.Gmc. *wurkijanan; and O.E. wircan (Mercian) "to work, operate, function," formed relatively late from P.Gmc. noun *werkan (see work (n.)). Worker as a type of bee is recorded from 1747. Work out "do strenuous physical exercise" first recorded 1909, originally in boxing jargon. Working-class first attested 1789 (n.), 1839 (adj.). Workmanlike "efficient, no-nonsense" is recorded from 1739.
sheer: c.1200, "exempt, free from guilt," later schiere "thin, sparse" (c.1400), from O.E. scir "bright, clear," influenced by O.N. cognate scær "bright, clean, pure," from P.Gmc. *skairijaz (cf. O.S. skiri, O.Fris. skire, Ger. schier, Goth. skeirs "clean, pure"), perhaps from PIE base *skai- "to shine" (see shine). Sense of "absolute, utter" (sheer nonsense) developed 1580s; that of "very steep" (sheer cliff) is first recorded 1800.
spinach: 1530, from M.Fr. espinache (Fr. épinard), from O.Prov. espinarc, which perhaps is via Catalan espinac, from Andalusian Arabic isbinakh, from Arabic isbanakh, from Pers. aspanakh "spinach." But OED is not convinced the Middle Eastern words are native, and based on the plethora of Romanic forms pronounces the origin "doubtful." Old folk etymology connected the word with L. spina (see spine) or with M.L. Hispanicum olus. For pronunciation, see cabbage. In 1930s Amer.Eng. colloq. it had a sense of "nonsense, rubbish," based on a famous "New Yorker" cartoon of Dec. 8, 1928.
fiddle (n.): O.E. fiðele, related to O.N. fiðla, M.Du. vedele, Ger. Fiedel; all probably from M.L. vitula "stringed instrument," perhaps related to L. vitularia "celebrate joyfully," from Vitula, Roman goddess of joy and victory, who probably, like her name, originated among the Sabines. The verb is from late 14c.; the figurative sense of "to act idly" is from 1520s. Related: Fiddling. The word has been relegated to colloquial usage by its more proper cousin, violin, a process encouraged by phraseology such as fiddlestick (15c., originally "the bow of a fiddle;" meaning "nonsense" is from 1620s) and fiddle-faddle (1570s), which is unrelated, being a reduplication of obsolete faddle "to trifle." Fit as a fiddle is from 1610s.
crap: "defecate" 1846 (v.), 1898 (n.), from one of a cluster of words generally applied to things cast off or discarded (e.g. "weeds growing among corn" (1425), "residue from renderings" (1490s), 18c. underworld slang for "money," and in Shropshire, "dregs of beer or ale"), all probably from M.E. crappe "grain that was trodden underfoot in a barn, chaff" (c.1440), from M.Fr. crape "siftings," from O.Fr. crappe, from M.L. crappa, crapinum "chaff." Sense of "rubbish, nonsense" also first recorded 1898. Despite folk etymology insistence, not from Thomas Crapper (1837-1910) who was, however, a busy plumber and may have had some minor role in the development of modern toilets. The name Crapper is a northern form of Cropper (attested from 1221), an occupational surname, obviously, but the exact reference is unclear.
trick (n.): c.1412, "a cheat, a mean ruse," from O.N.Fr. trique "trick, deceit, treachery, cheating," from trikier "to deceive, to cheat," variant of O.Fr. trichier, probably from V.L. *triccare, from L. tricari "be evasive, shuffle," from tricæ "trifles, nonsense, a tangle of difficulties," of unknown origin. Meaning "a roguish prank" is recorded from 1590; sense of "the art of doing something" is first attested 1611. The verb is first attested 1595. An earlier sense of "to dress, adorn" (c.1500) is perhaps a different word entirely. Meaning "prostitute's client" is first attested 1915; earlier it was U.S. slang for "a robbery" (1865). Trickery is first attested 1800; tricky is 1786 (earlier tricksy, 1596); trickster is from 1711. Trick-or-treat is recorded from 1947.
real (adj.): 1448, "relating to things" (esp. property), from O.Fr. reel, from L.L. realis "actual," from L. res "matter, thing," of unknown origin. Meaning "genuine" is recorded from 1559; that of "actually existing" is attested from 1597; sense of "unaffected, no-nonsense" is from 1847. Real estate is first recorded 1666 and retains the oldest Eng. sense of the word; Realistic "true to reality" (in art, etc.) is from 1856; meaning "having a practical view of life" is attested from 1862. Noun phrase real time is from 1953; get real, usually an interjection, was U.S. college slang in 1960s, reached wide popularity c.1987.
"Generally, by the time you are Real, most of your hair has been loved off, and your eyes drop out and you get loose in the joints and very shabby. But these things don't matter at all, because once you are Real you can't be ugly, except to people who don't understand." [Margery Williams, "The Velveteen Rabbit"]
ring (n.): O.E. hring "circular band," from P.Gmc. *khrengaz (cf. O.N. hringr, O.Fris. hring, Ger. Ring), lit. "something curved," from PIE base *(s)ker- "to turn, bend" (cf. L. curvus "bent, curved," crispus "curly;" O.C.S. kragu "circle," and perhaps Gk. kirkos "ring," koronos "curved"). Meaning "place for prize fight and wrestling bouts" (early 14c.) is from the space in a circle of bystanders in which such contests were once held (ringside is attested from 1866). Meaning "combination of interested persons" is from 1829. The verb meaning "to make a circle around" is O.E. ymbhringan. The circus ringmaster is recorded from 1873. Tree ring is from 1670s; fairy ring is from 1620s. Nursery rhyme ring a ring a rosie, is attested in an American form (with a different ending) from c.1790. "The belief that the rhyme originated with the Great Plague is now almost universal, but has no evidence to support it and is almost certainly nonsense" ["Oxford Dictionary of English Folklore"]. This connection only dates to the 1960s.