humbug
pronunciation
How to pronounce humbug in British English:
UK [ˈhʌmbʌg]
How to pronounce humbug in American English:
US [ˈhʌmˌbʌɡ]
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- Noun:
- pretentious or silly talk or writing
- communication (writen or spoken) intended to deceive
- something intended to deceive; deliberate trickery intended to gain an advantage
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- Verb:
- trick or deceive
Word Origin
- humbug (n.)
- 1751, student slang, "trick, jest, hoax, deception," also as a verb, of unknown origin. A vogue word of the early 1750s; its origin was a subject of much whimsical speculation even then.
Example
- 1. It is all pure humbug .
- 2. Indeed , the global currency debate is full of humbug .
- 3. There is , of course , more than a hint of humbug about the opposition 's attacks on mr cameron .
- 4. And both politicians and researchers at humbug factories - I mean , conservative think tanks - quickly seized on this bulge as evidence of an exploding public sector .
- 5. After all , they 've heard over and over again about that surge in government spending and employment , and they don 't realize that everything they 've heard was a special delivery from the humbug express .