Idioms

blarney

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have kissed the Blarney Stone

To have the ability to speak in a persuasive or convincing manner. Such an ability is said to be bestowed upon those who kiss the Blarney Stone in Ireland. She must have kissed the Blarney Stone, considering all the people she got to donate to our cause tonight! We need someone who's kissed the Blarney Stone to talk to the dean about approving our radical new research project. Danielle's kissed the Blarney Stone, so let her pursue the funding we need.
See also: blarney, have, kiss, stone
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.

have kissed the blarney stone

be eloquent and persuasive.
A stone at Blarney Castle near Cork in Ireland is said to give the gift of persuasive speech to anyone who kisses it; from this comes the verb blarney , meaning ‘talk in a flattering way’.
See also: blarney, have, kiss, stone
Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary © Farlex 2017

kiss the blarney stone, to

To engage in outrageous flattery. The term comes from the fifteenth-century Blarney Castle, near Cork, Ireland, which has a triangular piece of engraved limestone embedded high on its wall. According to legend, anyone who could reach the stone and kiss it would be rewarded with acquiring the ability to cajole and flatter with great eloquence. To indulge tourists, the modern-day Irish have provided a substitute stone that is easier to reach and is, they claim, equally effective. The noun blarney has meant “inflated nonsense” since about 1800.
See also: blarney, kiss, to
The Dictionary of Clichés by Christine Ammer Copyright © 2013 by Christine Ammer
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References in periodicals archive
Book of Kells, above, the Guiness Storehouse in Dublin, top, the Blarney Stone at Blarney Castle, above, and Holy Cross Abbey, right
Have a craic at an Irish holiday; From a pint of Guinness to kissing the Blarney Stone, Ireland has plenty to offer. Check out our top five places to visit
This book incorporates the findings of a survey conducted of all surviving features of archaeological and architectural significance in and around Blarney Castle.
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The stone was hidden in the Wagon Wheel's women's restroom in past years, but the roughly 7-foot-tall boulder is going to be showcased in the Blarney Stone, Sims said.
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Superstitions continued the next day at Blarney Castle, where we climbed the winding staircase to the Blarney stone at the top, scaring myself silly.
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The Blarney Resort Package features classic Irish style and comfort while steeped in the history of Blarney, home of the legendary Blarney Castle and Stone.
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While visiting the historic Blarney Castle, home of the Blarney Stone, one American tourist was heard to say to her husband, "It's really quaint honey, but it's a shame they built it so close to the highway."
Tourists ask the silliest questions
The nation of Ireland attracts more than 3 million visitors each year to see such famous sites as Blarney Castle, with its legendary Blarney Stone.
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Co-authored by archaeologist and architectural historian Mark Samuel and freelance writer and archaeology enthusiast Kate Hamlyn, "Blarney Castle: it's History, Development And Purpose" is a comprehensive, informative, and nicely illustrated guide to Ireland's famed Blarney Castle, including its history and the three families who owned it.
Blarney Castle
Three such rocks are the Stone of Scone, The Blarney Stone, and the Black Stone of the Kaaba.
If these rocks could talk
Occasionally illustrated with black-and-white photographs, "The Brogan Book: Your Daily Blarney" is a compilation of prose poems and free verse lyrics employed by Thomas Brogan and range from rants, accusations, and sarcasm to novel ideas, original thoughts, and a great deal of what can only be described as 'blarney', nonsense, and old-fashioned hooey.
The Brogan Book (poetry)
Future sites are expected to include Jack Demsey s, Stout, Joe O s, Blarney Rock, Hickey's (all on West 33rd St); Tir Na Nog at 5 Penn Plaza, Brendan's on W.
Boozers turn over new leaf
What makes "Bothering the Coffee Drinkers" so easy to absorb must be the 'blarney' effect.
Bothering the Coffee Drinkers
"Cork has so much to offer - fantastic scenery, bike tours and the opportunity to kiss the Blarney Stone at Blarney Castle.
British champion
He then requests that you "retract some of your left-wing blarney" and give equal time to conservative ideology.
An admitted subscriber
Today's Harry Shaw holiday prize is a five-day/four-night trip for two to the Ring of Kerry, Blarney, Killarney and Dublin worth pounds 259.95 each.
WIN: ...a five-day trip to Dublin and the Irish countryside; Harry Shaw City Cruiser
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