humbug
humbug Lexical Profile
humbug Game Scores & Validity
• noun
Deceptive, pretentious, or nonsensical talk or behavior; hypocrisy or sham.
"The critic dismissed the politician's grandiose promises as pure humbug."
A dishonest or insincere person who deceives others under false pretenses; an impostor.
"The self-proclaimed healer was eventually exposed as a calculating humbug."
British A hard, boiled peppermint-flavored sweet, typically having dark and light stripes.
"My grandfather always kept a paper bag of striped peppermint humbugs in his coat pocket."
• interjection
Used to express dismissive disbelief, contempt, or irritation at something regarded as nonsense or hypocrisy.
"Humbug! You cannot seriously expect anyone to believe that ridiculous excuse."
• verb
To deceive, trick, or delude someone by means of false pretenses or nonsensical talk.
"The smooth-talking promoter managed to humbug the townspeople into investing in a nonexistent mine."
Word Origin & Etymology
Coined in the mid-18th century as British student slang for a hoax or jest, though its exact linguistic origin remains uncertain. The word was immortalized in popular culture by Ebenezer Scrooge's signature exclamation 'Bah! Humbug!' in Charles Dickens's 1843 novella A Christmas Carol.