murphy

[ mur-fee ]
/ ˈmɜr fi /
Slang.

noun, plural mur·phies.

an Irish or white potato.
any of various confidence games in which a victim is left with a sealed envelope supposedly containing money, but which contains only newspaper or scrap paper cut to the same size as paper money.

verb (used with object), mur·phied, mur·phy·ing.

to victimize or dupe in such a manner.

Origin of murphy

First recorded in 1805–15; special uses of Murphy, a typical Irish surname

Definition for murphy (2 of 2)

Murphy
[ mur-fee ]
/ ˈmɜr fi /

noun

Frank,1890–1949, U.S. statesman and jurist: associate justice of the U.S. Supreme Court 1940–49.
Isaac,1861–96, U.S. thoroughbred racehorse jockey.
William Par·ry [par-ee] /ˈpær i/,1892–1987, U.S. physician: Nobel Prize in medicine 1934.

Example sentences from the Web for murphy

British Dictionary definitions for murphy (1 of 2)

murphy
/ (ˈmɜːfɪ) /

noun plural -phies

a dialect or informal word for potato

Word Origin for murphy

C19: from the common Irish surname Murphy

British Dictionary definitions for murphy (2 of 2)

Murphy
/ (ˈmɜːfɪ) /

noun

Alex. born 1939, English rugby league player and coach; scored 16 tries in 27 test matches for Great Britain (1958–71)
Eddie, full name Edward Regan Murphy . born 1951, US film actor and comedian. His films include 48 Hours (1982), Beverly Hills Cop (1984), Coming to America (1988), Dr Dolittle (1998), and, as a voice artist, the Shrek series of animated films (2001–10)
William Parry. 1892–1987, US physician: with G. R. Minot, he discovered the liver treatment for anaemia and they shared, with G. H. Whipple, the Nobel prize for physiology or medicine in 1934

Medical definitions for murphy

Murphy
[ mûrfē ]
William Parry 1892-1987

American physician. He shared a 1934 Nobel Prize for discovering that a diet of liver relieves anemia.