John Furphy (17 June 1842 รข€" 23 September 1920) was a blacksmith, best known for his Furphy Water Carts that were an important part of Australia's history. The Furphy Water Carts appeared throughout the country and were used by the army in World War I, e.g. at Gallipoli. The Australian slang term "furphy" for an unbelievable story or rumour is believed to derive from the use of the water carts as a gathering place for soldiers to swap gossip.
John's brother Joseph is also well known as one of Australia's pioneer novelists.
References
What is FURPHY? What does FURPHY mean? FURPHY meaning, definition & explanation - What is FURPHY? What does FURPHY mean? FURPHY meaning - FURPHY pronunciation - FURPHY definition - FURPHY explanation - How to pronounce FURPHY? Source: Wikipedia.org article, adapted under...
- Australian Dictionary of Biography Online Edition: Furphy, John (1842 - 1920)
- Furphy Foundry official website
