# Murphy

/ˈmɝfi/ (US) · /mˈɜːfi/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/murphy
Updated: 2026-08-15

## Senses

### 1. a potato

noun · CEFR C1 · Informal · British English

an informal word for a potato, especially an Irish or white potato.

For teachers: a colloquial term for a potato, specifically an Irish or white variety.

- He served a big bowl of mashed murphies with the Sunday roast.
- The traditional stew was thickened with several large murphies, providing a hearty base for the winter meal.

Usage: Usually used in the plural form 'murphies'.

Teaching tip: This is a very informal term; 'spud' is more common in modern speech, while 'murphy' often sounds slightly old-fashioned or specifically Irish.

### 2. a trick or scam

noun · CEFR C2 · Slang · American English

a type of dishonest trick used to steal money from someone.

For teachers: a confidence trick or swindle, often involving a fake exchange or promise.

- The tourist realized too late that he had been caught in a murphy.
- The street performer was actually running a sophisticated murphy, distracting the crowd while his partner moved through the audience.

Usage: Often appears in the phrase 'Murphy game'.

Teaching tip: This is a niche slang term mostly found in older crime fiction or specific regional dialects.

### 3. to swindle

verb · CEFR C2 · Slang · American English

to trick or cheat someone out of their money.

For teachers: to defraud or swindle a victim using a confidence game.

- They tried to murphy the newcomers at the train station.
- The gang specialized in murphying unsuspecting travelers by promising cheap luxury goods that never existed.

Usage: The verb is transitive and requires a direct object.

## Examples

- I forgot my umbrella and then it rained; that is just Murphy.
- We tested the presentation five times, but Murphy showed up and the projector broke during the meeting.
- Engineers often design systems with significant redundancy to account for Murphy, ensuring that a single point of failure does not result in a total collapse of the infrastructure.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.