tripe
intjEtymology From Middle English tripe, from Old French tripe (“entrails”), of uncertain origin; possibly borrowed from Spanish tripa.
1
Derogatory That (what has just been said) is untrue.
tripe
nounalso spelled Tripe/tɹaɪp/
Etymology From Middle English tripe, from Old French tripe (“entrails”), of uncertain origin; possibly borrowed from Spanish tripa.
1
Usually The lining of the large stomach of ruminating animals, when prepared for food.
- You saw only your mother die. I see them pop off every day in the Mater and Richmond and cut up into tripes in the dissectingroom.1922 February, James Joyce, “[1]”, in Ulysses, Paris: Shakespeare and Company, […], →OCLC:
- Tripe: A popular dish commonly believed to be a sexual stimulant.1961, Harry E. Wedeck, Dictionary of Aphrodisiacs, New York: The Citadel Press, page 237:
2
In plural, Usually The entrails; (by extension, humorous or derogatory) the belly.
- Next morning Miss Dolly complained of her Tripes; / Drinking cold water had given her gripes.quoted in 2013, W. T. Fernie, Animal Simples: Approved for Modern Uses of Cure (page 352)
3
Derogatory, Figuratively, Usually Something foolish or valueless, especially written works and popular entertainment (movies, television).
- No, I'm not kidding. Professor, Broadway stands for a lot of baloney; but, it will never digest a piece of tripe like this!1932, Clarence Budington Kelland, Speak Easily, spoken by Stage Director (Sidney Toler):
- We believe that the purpose of science is to serve mankind. You, however, seem to regard science as some kind of dodge… or hustle. Your theories are the worst kind of popular tripe, your methods are sloppy, and your conclusions are highly questionable! You are a poor scientist, Dr. Venkman!1984, Dan Aykroyd, Harold Ramis, Ghostbusters, spoken by Dean Yeager (Jordan Charney):
2 more examples
- It was dismissed by Mr. Johnson as “sexist, misogynist, tripe,” and prompted more than 5,500 complaints, according to the independent regulator of most of Britain’s newspapers and magazines.2022 April 26, Stephen Castle, Megan Specia, quoting Boris Johnson, “U.K. Tabloid Accuses Lawmaker of ‘Basic Instinct’ Move, Highlighting Sexism in Parliament”, in The New York Times, →ISSN, archived from the original on 09 Nov 2022:
- And just because leftoids make tripe from their position of strength is no reason for trads to make schlock from their position of weakness.2024 June 18, Spencer Klavan, “A Matter of Taste”, in The American Mind, archived from the original on 18 Mar 2025:
4
Usually An edible lichen, especially rock tripe.
- Derived terms
- honeycomb tripe, plain tripe, rock tripe, tripe and onions, tripelike, tripeman, tripemonger, tripeshop, tripestone, tripewife, tripewoman, tripy