blather + Old English skite, shit. Alternatively the Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary asserts that the word is of Scottish origin, with blather/blether + skate referring to someone who is "contemptible". First use of the term dates to the mid-17th century. Compare cheapskate
- A voluble purveyor of nonsense; a blusterer.
- A worthless fellow; a deadbeat.
- Nonsense or blather; empty talk.