Argle-bargle is meaningless nonsense. If you ask a politician and she responds in a confusing, absurd way, you can say her answer is nothing but argle-bargle.
It's more common to hear the word argle-bargle in Britain than in the US, but wherever you are, it's a great way to refer to gibberish or foolish talk. You can also use the word to mean an argument or a quarrel. Argle-bargle comes from the 1580s word argle, "to argue obstinately," which might be a combination of argue and haggle. The variation argy-bargy comes from a Scottish rhyme.
A paragraph of text
Copy citationClose your vocabulary gaps with personalized learning that focuses on teaching the words you need to know.