See nothingburger in All languages combined, or Wiktionary
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"etymology_text": "The noun is derived from nothing (pronoun, noun) + -burger (suffix forming names of hamburgers served in buns with the addition of specified foodstuffs, or with foodstuffs in place of the usual meat), a metaphorical reference to a burger missing a patty—its most significant component. The word was apparently coined by the American gossip columnist Louella Parsons (1881–1972) in her widely syndicated daily column “Louella’s Move-Go-’Round” of June 1, 1953: see the quotation.\nThe adjective is derived from the noun.",
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"_dis1": "0 0",
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"ref": "1953 June 1, Louella O[ettinger] Parsons, “Farley Granger Wins His Release—at Last: But Sam Goldwyn Retains an Option to Sign Star again in 18 Months”, in San Francisco Examiner, volume CLXXXXVII, number 152, San Francisco, Calif.: Hearst Corporation, →ISSN, →OCLC, page 33, column 2:",
"text": "After all, if it hadn’t been for Sam[uel] Goldwyn Farley [Granger] might very well be a nothingburger. However, I have a hunch this whole arrangement is on a friendly basis.",
"type": "quote"
},
{
"ref": "2014, Fannie Flagg, “Sookie has the Blues”, in The All-Girl Filling Station’s Last Reunion, London: Vintage Books, published 2015, →ISBN, page 278:",
"text": "I've had two fantastic mothers—one a hero who flew planes—and I turned out to be just a big nothingburger with no courage at all.",
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{
"ref": "1984 July 31, Norman D’Amours, “Expressing the Sense of the House that It Disapproves the Appointment of Anne M[cGill] Burford”, in Congressional Record: Proceedings and Debates of the 98th Congress, Second Session (United States House of Representatives), volume 130, part 16, Washington, D.C.: United States Government Printing Office, →ISSN, →OCLC, page 21664, column 1:",
"text": "She [Anne Gorsuch Burford] calls NACOA [the National Advisory Committee on Oceans and Atmosphere] a \"joke\" and a \"nothingburger,\" whatever that is. Nothing I could say could more graphically demonstrate the contempt she has shown, and will continue to show again, for public service in general and for environmental protection in particular.",
"type": "quote"
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{
"ref": "1991, Helen Gurley Brown, Cosmopolitan, volume 210, New York, N.Y.: Hearst Corporation, →ISSN, →OCLC, page 2:",
"text": "Except for Easter, isn't March kind of a nothingburger (unless your birthday is in it!) month? Shall we try to make it memorable?",
"type": "quote"
},
{
"ref": "1993, Appalachian Journal, volume 21, Boone, N.C.: Appalachian State University, →ISSN, →OCLC, page 104:",
"text": "Browner admitted that the new policies would have no impact […] Kaufman […] called Browner's announcement \"a nothingburger.\"",
"type": "quote"
},
{
"ref": "2000 September, Lucinda Rosenfeld, “Jason Barry Gold, or ‘The Varsity Lacrosse Stud’”, in What She Saw […], New York, N.Y.: Anchor Books, Random House, published September 2001, →ISBN, page 60:",
"text": "That's how ugly she was—ugly by virtue of the fact that she was unmemorable, a slab of alabaster awaiting a sculptor who never arrived, a \"nothing burger\" if there ever was one.",
"type": "quote"
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{
"ref": "2005 October 17, Don Tennant, “Just Wondering”, in Don Tennant, editor, Computerworld: The Voice of IT Management, volume 39, number 42, Framingham, Mass.: Computerworld, Inc., →ISSN, →OCLC, page 26, column 1:",
"text": "[A]s Lee Gomes of The Wall Street Journal noted in a great column last week, the announcement was \"a model for how well-known companies can make a major media event out of a nothingburger.\"",
"type": "quote"
},
{
"ref": "2017 March 14, Chris Cillizza, “This 2005 Donald Trump tax return is a total nothingburger”, in The Washington Post, Washington, D.C.: The Washington Post Company, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 2022-05-26:",
"text": "This 2005 Donald Trump tax return is a total nothingburger [title]",
"type": "quote"
},
{
"ref": "2017 June 28, Greg Price, quoting Van Jones, “CNN's Van Jones Calls Trump-Russia Story ‘Nothing Burger,’ Newest Project Veritas Video Shows”, in Newsweek, New York, N.Y.: Newsweek, Inc., →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 2023-09-22:",
"text": "The two shake hands and Jones is asked: \"What do you think is going to happen this week with the whole Russia thing?\" Jones responds: \"The Russia thing is just a big nothing burger.\"",
"type": "quote"
},
{
"ref": "2017 July 12, Peter Beinart, “How to Know Who will Let Trump Get Away with Anything”, in The Atlantic, Washington, D.C.: The Atlantic Monthly Group, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 2023-06-10:",
"text": "If the [Donald] Trump Jr. meeting was a \"nothingburger\" because President [Donald] Trump didn't know about it, then a future revelation that Trump did know about Russia collusion might force his defenders to admit he did something wrong. If the Trump Jr. meeting was a \"nothingburger\" because it didn't lead anywhere, then a future revelation that the Trump campaign colluded with the Russian government in a more substantive, sustained way would be hard to dismiss.",
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"word": "ништо плескавица"
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"ref": "1970, Helen Gurley Brown, Sex and the New Single Girl, revised edition, New York, N.Y.: Bernard Geis Associates, →OCLC, page 186:",
"text": "Well, I think better a splendid fake than those little-bitty, itsy-poo nothing burger gold dinkies you wear only because they're real.",
"type": "quote"
},
{
"ref": "1981, American Photographer, volume 27, Boston, Mass.: American Photographic Pub. Co., →ISSN, →OCLC:",
"text": "There are some good pictures here but the Brand-X reproduction and nothingburger design reduces the overall look to a clutter […]",
"type": "quote"
},
{
"ref": "1984, Bob Rich, “[Letter to the editor]”, in Car and Driver, volume 30, New York, N.Y.: Ziff Davis Publishing Company, →ISSN, →OCLC, page 13, column 1:",
"text": "For years you have touted anemic nothing[-]burger cars because they \"cornered\" and \"handled.\" Now the Corvette comes along and blows them into the weeds, and you cannot bring yourselves to give credit where it is due.",
"type": "quote"
},
{
"ref": "1993, Helen Gurley Brown, “Work”, in The Late Show: A Semiwild but Practical Survival Plan for Women over 50, New York, N.Y.: William Morrow and Company, →ISBN, pages 285–286:",
"text": "I don't know anything about the offices of tycoons and moguls […] I just know about small busy squares or rectangles with computers, word processors, files and telephones, gray, beige or brown really nothingburger desks.",
"type": "quote"
},
{
"ref": "2013 May, Steve Ulfelder, Shotgun Lullaby, New York, N.Y.: Thomas Dunne Books, →ISBN, page 118:",
"text": "You can help me figure out why a pro like you, who looks to've spent time in some serious places, is babysitting Charlie Pundo's nothingburger baby-raping turd of a son.",
"type": "quote"
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],
"lang": "English",
"lang_code": "en",
"pos": "noun",
"related": [
{
"word": "shit sandwich"
},
{
"word": "where's the beef"
}
],
"senses": [
{
"antonyms": [
{
"word": "important person"
}
],
"categories": [
"English terms with quotations"
],
"examples": [
{
"ref": "1953 June 1, Louella O[ettinger] Parsons, “Farley Granger Wins His Release—at Last: But Sam Goldwyn Retains an Option to Sign Star again in 18 Months”, in San Francisco Examiner, volume CLXXXXVII, number 152, San Francisco, Calif.: Hearst Corporation, →ISSN, →OCLC, page 33, column 2:",
"text": "After all, if it hadn’t been for Sam[uel] Goldwyn Farley [Granger] might very well be a nothingburger. However, I have a hunch this whole arrangement is on a friendly basis.",
"type": "quote"
},
{
"ref": "2014, Fannie Flagg, “Sookie has the Blues”, in The All-Girl Filling Station’s Last Reunion, London: Vintage Books, published 2015, →ISBN, page 278:",
"text": "I've had two fantastic mothers—one a hero who flew planes—and I turned out to be just a big nothingburger with no courage at all.",
"type": "quote"
}
],
"glosses": [
"An unimportant person; a nobody, a nonentity."
],
"links": [
[
"unimportant",
"unimportant"
],
[
"person",
"person#Noun"
],
[
"nobody",
"nobody#Noun"
],
[
"nonentity",
"nonentity"
]
],
"synonyms": [
{
"word": "nonentity"
}
],
"tags": [
"informal"
]
},
{
"antonyms": [
{
"word": "somethingburger"
}
],
"categories": [
"English terms with quotations"
],
"examples": [
{
"ref": "1984 July 31, Norman D’Amours, “Expressing the Sense of the House that It Disapproves the Appointment of Anne M[cGill] Burford”, in Congressional Record: Proceedings and Debates of the 98th Congress, Second Session (United States House of Representatives), volume 130, part 16, Washington, D.C.: United States Government Printing Office, →ISSN, →OCLC, page 21664, column 1:",
"text": "She [Anne Gorsuch Burford] calls NACOA [the National Advisory Committee on Oceans and Atmosphere] a \"joke\" and a \"nothingburger,\" whatever that is. Nothing I could say could more graphically demonstrate the contempt she has shown, and will continue to show again, for public service in general and for environmental protection in particular.",
"type": "quote"
},
{
"ref": "1991, Helen Gurley Brown, Cosmopolitan, volume 210, New York, N.Y.: Hearst Corporation, →ISSN, →OCLC, page 2:",
"text": "Except for Easter, isn't March kind of a nothingburger (unless your birthday is in it!) month? Shall we try to make it memorable?",
"type": "quote"
},
{
"ref": "1993, Appalachian Journal, volume 21, Boone, N.C.: Appalachian State University, →ISSN, →OCLC, page 104:",
"text": "Browner admitted that the new policies would have no impact […] Kaufman […] called Browner's announcement \"a nothingburger.\"",
"type": "quote"
},
{
"ref": "2000 September, Lucinda Rosenfeld, “Jason Barry Gold, or ‘The Varsity Lacrosse Stud’”, in What She Saw […], New York, N.Y.: Anchor Books, Random House, published September 2001, →ISBN, page 60:",
"text": "That's how ugly she was—ugly by virtue of the fact that she was unmemorable, a slab of alabaster awaiting a sculptor who never arrived, a \"nothing burger\" if there ever was one.",
"type": "quote"
},
{
"ref": "2005 October 17, Don Tennant, “Just Wondering”, in Don Tennant, editor, Computerworld: The Voice of IT Management, volume 39, number 42, Framingham, Mass.: Computerworld, Inc., →ISSN, →OCLC, page 26, column 1:",
"text": "[A]s Lee Gomes of The Wall Street Journal noted in a great column last week, the announcement was \"a model for how well-known companies can make a major media event out of a nothingburger.\"",
"type": "quote"
},
{
"ref": "2017 March 14, Chris Cillizza, “This 2005 Donald Trump tax return is a total nothingburger”, in The Washington Post, Washington, D.C.: The Washington Post Company, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 2022-05-26:",
"text": "This 2005 Donald Trump tax return is a total nothingburger [title]",
"type": "quote"
},
{
"ref": "2017 June 28, Greg Price, quoting Van Jones, “CNN's Van Jones Calls Trump-Russia Story ‘Nothing Burger,’ Newest Project Veritas Video Shows”, in Newsweek, New York, N.Y.: Newsweek, Inc., →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 2023-09-22:",
"text": "The two shake hands and Jones is asked: \"What do you think is going to happen this week with the whole Russia thing?\" Jones responds: \"The Russia thing is just a big nothing burger.\"",
"type": "quote"
},
{
"ref": "2017 July 12, Peter Beinart, “How to Know Who will Let Trump Get Away with Anything”, in The Atlantic, Washington, D.C.: The Atlantic Monthly Group, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 2023-06-10:",
"text": "If the [Donald] Trump Jr. meeting was a \"nothingburger\" because President [Donald] Trump didn't know about it, then a future revelation that Trump did know about Russia collusion might force his defenders to admit he did something wrong. If the Trump Jr. meeting was a \"nothingburger\" because it didn't lead anywhere, then a future revelation that the Trump campaign colluded with the Russian government in a more substantive, sustained way would be hard to dismiss.",
"type": "quote"
}
],
"glosses": [
"Something of less importance than its treatment suggests; also, something which is bland or unremarkable in appearance or impact."
],
"links": [
[
"importance",
"importance"
],
[
"treatment",
"treatment"
],
[
"suggest",
"suggest"
],
[
"bland",
"bland#Adjective"
],
[
"unremarkable",
"unremarkable"
],
[
"appearance",
"appearance"
],
[
"impact",
"impact#Noun"
]
],
"synonyms": [
{
"word": "nothing sandwich"
},
{
"word": "unthing"
},
{
"word": "trifle"
}
],
"tags": [
"informal"
]
}
],
"sounds": [
{
"ipa": "/ˈnʌθɪŋbəːɡə/",
"tags": [
"Received-Pronunciation"
]
},
{
"audio": "LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-nothingburger.wav",
"mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/f/f7/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Vealhurl-nothingburger.wav/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Vealhurl-nothingburger.wav.mp3",
"ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/f/f7/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Vealhurl-nothingburger.wav/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Vealhurl-nothingburger.wav.ogg"
},
{
"ipa": "/ˈnʌθɪŋˌbəɹɡəɹ/",
"tags": [
"General-American"
]
}
],
"synonyms": [
{
"word": "nothing-burger"
},
{
"word": "nothing burger"
}
],
"translations": [
{
"code": "da",
"lang": "Danish",
"sense": "something of little importance",
"tags": [
"neuter"
],
"word": "fupnummer"
},
{
"code": "da",
"lang": "Danish",
"sense": "something of little importance",
"word": "varm luft"
},
{
"code": "fi",
"lang": "Finnish",
"sense": "something of little importance",
"word": "yhtä tyhjän kanssa"
},
{
"code": "de",
"lang": "German",
"sense": "something of little importance",
"tags": [
"feminine"
],
"word": "heiße Luft"
},
{
"code": "de",
"lang": "German",
"sense": "something of little importance",
"tags": [
"masculine"
],
"word": "Lacher"
},
{
"code": "de",
"lang": "German",
"sense": "something of little importance",
"tags": [
"feminine",
"informal"
],
"word": "Luftnummer"
},
{
"code": "mk",
"lang": "Macedonian",
"roman": "ništo pleskavica",
"sense": "something of little importance",
"word": "ништо плескавица"
},
{
"code": "sv",
"lang": "Swedish",
"sense": "something of little importance",
"tags": [
"common-gender"
],
"word": "skitsak"
},
{
"code": "sv",
"lang": "Swedish",
"sense": "something of little importance",
"tags": [
"common-gender"
],
"word": "struntsak"
},
{
"code": "cy",
"lang": "Welsh",
"sense": "something of little importance",
"tags": [
"masculine"
],
"word": "peth dibwys"
},
{
"code": "cy",
"lang": "Welsh",
"sense": "something of little importance",
"tags": [
"masculine"
],
"word": "mân beth"
}
],
"wikipedia": [
"Dow Jones & Company",
"The Wall Street Journal"
],
"word": "nothingburger"
}
{
"categories": [
"American English",
"English adjectives",
"English coinages",
"English countable nouns",
"English entries with incorrect language header",
"English informal terms",
"English lemmas",
"English nouns",
"English terms suffixed with -burger",
"English uncomparable adjectives",
"Entries with translation boxes",
"Pages with 1 entry",
"Pages with entries",
"Terms with Danish translations",
"Terms with Finnish translations",
"Terms with German translations",
"Terms with Macedonian translations",
"Terms with Swedish translations",
"Terms with Welsh translations"
],
"etymology_templates": [
{
"args": {
"1": "noun"
},
"expansion": "noun",
"name": "glossary"
},
{
"args": {
"1": "suffix"
},
"expansion": "suffix",
"name": "glossary"
},
{
"args": {
"1": "en",
"2": "nothing",
"3": "burger",
"pos1": "pronoun, noun",
"pos2": "suffix forming names of hamburgers served in buns with the addition of specified foodstuffs, or with foodstuffs in place of the usual meat"
},
"expansion": "nothing (pronoun, noun) + -burger (suffix forming names of hamburgers served in buns with the addition of specified foodstuffs, or with foodstuffs in place of the usual meat)",
"name": "suffix"
},
{
"args": {
"1": "metaphorical"
},
"expansion": "metaphorical",
"name": "glossary"
},
{
"args": {
"1": "en",
"2": "Louella Parsons",
"nat": "the American",
"nobycat": "1",
"nocap": "1",
"occ": "gossip columnist"
},
"expansion": "coined by the American gossip columnist Louella Parsons",
"name": "coinage"
},
{
"args": {
"1": "adjective"
},
"expansion": "adjective",
"name": "glossary"
}
],
"etymology_text": "The noun is derived from nothing (pronoun, noun) + -burger (suffix forming names of hamburgers served in buns with the addition of specified foodstuffs, or with foodstuffs in place of the usual meat), a metaphorical reference to a burger missing a patty—its most significant component. The word was apparently coined by the American gossip columnist Louella Parsons (1881–1972) in her widely syndicated daily column “Louella’s Move-Go-’Round” of June 1, 1953: see the quotation.\nThe adjective is derived from the noun.",
"head_templates": [
{
"args": {
"1": "-"
},
"expansion": "nothingburger (not comparable)",
"name": "en-adj"
}
],
"hyphenation": [
"no‧thing‧burg‧er"
],
"lang": "English",
"lang_code": "en",
"pos": "adj",
"senses": [
{
"antonyms": [
{
"word": "remarkable"
},
{
"word": "significant"
},
{
"word": "important"
}
],
"categories": [
"American English",
"English informal terms",
"English terms with quotations"
],
"examples": [
{
"ref": "1970, Helen Gurley Brown, Sex and the New Single Girl, revised edition, New York, N.Y.: Bernard Geis Associates, →OCLC, page 186:",
"text": "Well, I think better a splendid fake than those little-bitty, itsy-poo nothing burger gold dinkies you wear only because they're real.",
"type": "quote"
},
{
"ref": "1981, American Photographer, volume 27, Boston, Mass.: American Photographic Pub. Co., →ISSN, →OCLC:",
"text": "There are some good pictures here but the Brand-X reproduction and nothingburger design reduces the overall look to a clutter […]",
"type": "quote"
},
{
"ref": "1984, Bob Rich, “[Letter to the editor]”, in Car and Driver, volume 30, New York, N.Y.: Ziff Davis Publishing Company, →ISSN, →OCLC, page 13, column 1:",
"text": "For years you have touted anemic nothing[-]burger cars because they \"cornered\" and \"handled.\" Now the Corvette comes along and blows them into the weeds, and you cannot bring yourselves to give credit where it is due.",
"type": "quote"
},
{
"ref": "1993, Helen Gurley Brown, “Work”, in The Late Show: A Semiwild but Practical Survival Plan for Women over 50, New York, N.Y.: William Morrow and Company, →ISBN, pages 285–286:",
"text": "I don't know anything about the offices of tycoons and moguls […] I just know about small busy squares or rectangles with computers, word processors, files and telephones, gray, beige or brown really nothingburger desks.",
"type": "quote"
},
{
"ref": "2013 May, Steve Ulfelder, Shotgun Lullaby, New York, N.Y.: Thomas Dunne Books, →ISBN, page 118:",
"text": "You can help me figure out why a pro like you, who looks to've spent time in some serious places, is babysitting Charlie Pundo's nothingburger baby-raping turd of a son.",
"type": "quote"
}
],
"glosses": [
"Of less importance than its treatment suggests; insignificant, unimportant; also, bland or unremarkable in appearance or impact."
],
"links": [
[
"importance",
"importance"
],
[
"treatment",
"treatment"
],
[
"suggest",
"suggest"
],
[
"insignificant",
"insignificant"
],
[
"unimportant",
"unimportant"
],
[
"bland",
"bland#Adjective"
],
[
"unremarkable",
"unremarkable"
],
[
"appearance",
"appearance"
],
[
"impact",
"impact#Noun"
]
],
"raw_glosses": [
"(originally and chiefly US, informal) Of less importance than its treatment suggests; insignificant, unimportant; also, bland or unremarkable in appearance or impact."
],
"synonyms": [
{
"word": "insignificant"
}
],
"tags": [
"informal",
"not-comparable"
]
}
],
"sounds": [
{
"ipa": "/ˈnʌθɪŋbəːɡə/",
"tags": [
"Received-Pronunciation"
]
},
{
"audio": "LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-nothingburger.wav",
"mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/f/f7/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Vealhurl-nothingburger.wav/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Vealhurl-nothingburger.wav.mp3",
"ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/f/f7/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Vealhurl-nothingburger.wav/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Vealhurl-nothingburger.wav.ogg"
},
{
"ipa": "/ˈnʌθɪŋˌbəɹɡəɹ/",
"tags": [
"General-American"
]
}
],
"wikipedia": [
"Dow Jones & Company",
"The Wall Street Journal"
],
"word": "nothingburger"
}
Download raw JSONL data for nothingburger meaning in English (15.5kB)
This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable English dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2024-12-15 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2024-12-04 using wiktextract (8a39820 and 4401a4c). The data shown on this site has been post-processed and various details (e.g., extra categories) removed, some information disambiguated, and additional data merged from other sources. See the raw data download page for the unprocessed wiktextract data.
If you use this data in academic research, please cite Tatu Ylonen: Wiktextract: Wiktionary as Machine-Readable Structured Data, Proceedings of the 13th Conference on Language Resources and Evaluation (LREC), pp. 1317-1325, Marseille, 20-25 June 2022. Linking to the relevant page(s) under https://kaikki.org would also be greatly appreciated.