Tudor & Stuart · insult · noun
blatherskite
BLATH-er-skite /ˈblæðəɹˌskaɪt/pronunciation given by a dictionary
First recordedc. 1650
A person who talks a great deal of blustering nonsense; also the nonsense itself. Scottish in origin (blether 'foolish talk' + skate/skite 'contemptible fellow'); the song 'Maggie Lauder' carried it to America, where it became common 19th-century slang for a windbag or good-for-nothing.
Where it was first recorded
The Scottish song 'Maggie Lauder' (c. 1650), as 'bletherskate'; the song is traditionally attributed to Francis Sempill.
Also spelled: bletherskate, blatherskate, bletherskite, bladderskate
In its own time
She never had any ideas, any more than a fog has. She was a perfect blatherskite; I mean for jaw, jaw, jaw, talk, talk, talk, jabber, jabber, jabber; but just as good as she could be.
Today
Modern exampleDon't let that blatherskite run the meeting — we'll be here till midnight.
Fine to use today as a playful, old-fashioned insult for a windbag.
Questions
What does blatherskite mean?
A person who talks a great deal of blustering nonsense; also the nonsense itself. Scottish in origin (blether 'foolish talk' + skate/skite 'contemptible fellow'); the song 'Maggie Lauder' carried it to America, where it became common 19th-century slang for a windbag or good-for-nothing.
When was blatherskite first used?
It is first recorded c. 1650 — The Scottish song 'Maggie Lauder' (c. 1650), as 'bletherskate'; the song is traditionally attributed to Francis Sempill.
Can you still use blatherskite today?
Fine to use today as a playful, old-fashioned insult for a windbag.
Sources
- blatherskite — Online Etymology Dictionary
- Slang and its Analogues, vol. I (1890), s.v. BLETHERSKATE — J. S. Farmer & W. E. Henley (archive.org)
- blatherskite — Merriam-Webster
- blatherskite — Wiktionary
- A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court — Project Gutenberg #86
Checked 2026-09-30 · verdict: attested — found in the dictionaries and texts listed above