fudge

 
Pronunciation: /fʌdʒ/

noun

  • 1 [mass noun] a soft crumbly or chewy sweet made from sugar, butter, and milk or cream.
  • [as modifier] chiefly North American rich chocolate, used as a sauce or a filling for cakes: a fudge cake hot fudge sundaes
  • 2an attempt to fudge an issue: the new settlement is a fudge rushed out to win cheers at the conference
  • [mass noun] archaic nonsense: I hope your marriage will cure you of your silly fudge
  • 3a piece of late news inserted in a newspaper page.

verb

[with object]
  • present or deal with (something) in a vague or inadequate way, especially so as to conceal the truth or mislead: the authorities have fudged the issue
  • adjust or manipulate (facts or figures) so as to present a desired picture: the government has been fudging figures to make it look as though targets have been met

exclamation

dated
  • nonsense! (expressing disbelief or annoyance): ‘You know how she despises me!’ ‘Fudge! She dotes on you’

Origin:

early 17th century: probably an alteration of obsolete fadge 'to fit'. Early usage was as a verb in the sense 'turn out as expected', also 'merge together': this probably gave rise to its use in confectionery. In the late 17th century the verb came to mean 'fit together in a clumsy or underhand manner', which included facts or figures being cobbled together in a superficially convincing way: this led to the exclamation 'fudge!' and to noun fudge (sense 3 of the noun)