LONDON - It's not just fake accounts and the financial predicament of his company that are concerning Twitter's new owner Elon Musk - he's also getting to grips with a British slang term for nonsense.

Britain's Northern Ireland minister Chris Heaton-Harris had called on Musk to act on fake news after he took to Twitter to dismiss false reports that he was resigning his government post.

"Someone has sent a fake e-mail to press outlets saying I’ve resigned. This is totally untrue," Heaton-Harris said late on Wednesday.

"I hope one of @elonmusk first moves is to eliminate fake news on Twitter ... Very exciting I know, but complete and utter tosh," he added.

His appeal to the world's richest person elicited a surprising response from Musk, who asked: "What does a tosh look like?"

Some of the thousands who viewed the exchange suggested Musk was joking, while others were keen to provide him with an explanation.

"It's a slightly grittier form of piffle. Not dissimilar to hogwash," one British radio presenter helpfully posted.

  - Reuters