adj
cockamamie
kok-uh-MAY-mee
adj
1
Ridiculous, implausible, or poorly thought out.
"He came up with some cockamamie excuse for being late."
"It was a cockamamie scheme that never had a chance of working."
How to Use Cockamamie
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishAbsurd or far-fetched, used informally about ideas, excuses, or plans.
When to use it
Informal, mostly American English.
Common pairings
a cockamamie idea
a cockamamie excuse
Word Forms
more cockamamie comparative, cockamamies plural, most cockamamie superlative
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He came up with some _____ excuse for being late.
Etymology
Believed to be an American mangling of French décalcomanie, the process of transferring printed designs (decals) onto surfaces — the word drifted from "cheap novelty transfer" to "silly and unconvincing."