Two Words: Malarkey & Hisself

“Don’t give me any of that malarkey!” would be a proper use of the word malarkey, and how we often hear it in conversation.  Malarkey is a real word, not a colloquialism, slang, or a non-standard word.  The meaning is often grasped, even if one does not know the exact definition.

Malarkey, a noun, means nonsense or a meaningless, pointless, or irrelevant discussion. 

“John’s explanation of his parking ticket was absolutely malarkey.”

“The discussion about space aliens was obviously pure malarkey.”

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Hisself is not a word, or at least not a real word outside of slang expressions.  It is an improper contraction of the words Him and Self.  We guess that out there somewhere someone has used the non-word herself as a contraction for Her and Self.  Slang yes, but they almost never make it into print other than when used in a quotation.

It is cringeworthy when you hear someone use it in conversation.

How we write matters.  Spelling and grammar matter.  These skills shape how clearly and confidently our ideas reach others.  When your message is accurate and well-structured, people focus on it rather than being distracted by mistakes.  Written communication skills build credibility, helping you sound thoughtful, capable, and professional in everyday communication.  We include these two-word comparisons to aid learning as part of our overall project, and we hope everyone learns from and enjoys them.

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