sb. colloq. [An arbitrary formation; cf. FADOODLE.]
1. (See quot. 1833.)
1833. Marryat, P. Simple (1863), 210. ‘It’s my opinion, Peter, that the gentleman has eaten no small quantity of flapdoodle in his lifetime.’ ‘What’s that, O’Brien?’ replied I; ‘I never heard of it.’ ‘Why, Peter,’ rejoined he, ‘it’s the stuff they feed fools on.’
1863. Kingsley, Water-bab., vi. (1878), 266. In the first picture they saw these Doasyoulikes living in the land of Readymade, at the foot of the Happy-go-lucky Mountains, where flapdoodle grows wild.
2. a. Nonsense; ‘bosh’; humbug. Also as interj. b. A trifling thing, a gewgaw.
1878. Besant & Rice, Celia’s Arb., II. iii. 43. If it had been a bit of lace now, or any other fal-lal and flap-doodle—never mind, my pretty, you’re wise enough upon your own lines. Ibid., III. vii. 101. ‘Fudge and flapdoodle!’
1884. Mark Twain, Huck. Finn, xxv. Slobbers out a speech, all full of tears and flapdoodle.
attrib. 1891. B. Harte, A First Family of Tasajara, II. vii. 206. Ye know how he uster lie round his father’s store, reading flapdoodle stories and sich!
Hence Flap-doodle v. intr., to talk nonsense; to maunder. Flap-doodler [-ER1] (see quot.).
1889. Barrère & Leland, Slang Dict., Flapdoodlers (journalistic), charlatan namby-pamby political speakers.
1893. Westm. Gaz., 11 July, 2/1. He flapdoodled round the subject in the usual Archiepiscopal way.
