'hogwash' originates from English, specifically a compound of 'hog' + 'wash', where 'hog' meant 'pig' and 'wash' meant 'swill' or 'liquid refuse (feed for animals)'.

'hogwash' originally referred to the swill or refuse fed to hogs (early 19th century); by the mid-19th century it acquired the figurative sense of 'worthless talk' or 'nonsense', which is the modern meaning.

Initially, it meant 'swill fed to pigs', but over time it evolved into its current meaning of 'nonsense' or 'worthless talk'.