noun
humbug
HUHM-buhg
noun
1
Nonsense, deception, or something meant to trick or mislead people.
"He dismissed the claims as pure humbug."
"Scrooge famously called Christmas "humbug.""
2
A hard, striped mint candy, especially popular in Britain.
"She offered him a humbug from the paper bag of sweets."
"Humbugs were his grandmother's favorite candy."
How to Use Humbug
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishNonsense or a fraud — or, separately, a minty striped candy.
When to use it
Best known today through Scrooge's catchphrase "Bah, humbug!" in A Christmas Carol.
Word Forms
humbugged past tense, humbugs plural, humbugs singular
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Etymology
Origin unknown — the word appeared in English by the mid-1700s, and its exact source has never been traced with certainty.