or blatherskite, subs. (provincial and American).—1. Boastful swagger: in talk or action. Also (2) a boaster; a noisy talker of blatant nonsense. It occurs in ‘Maggie Lauder,’ a well-known Scotch song, a fact which Murray says led to its popularisation in the United States. In Ireland BLADDERSKATE and BLADDERUMSKATE.
c. 1650. F. SEMPILL, Maggie Lander, i. Jog on your gait, ye BLETHERSKATE.
1825. C. CROKER, Tradit. S. Ireland, p. 170. He was, as usual, getting on with his BLETHERUMSKITE about the fairies.
1870. J. R. O’FLANAGAN, Lives of the Lord Chancellors of Ireland. Lord Redesdale was speaking of people who learnt to skate with bladders under their arms, to buoy them up if they should fall into a hole and risk being drowned. ‘Ah, my Lord,’ said Toler, ‘that is what we call BLADDERUMSKATE in Ireland.’
