Humbug

Origin

First in use about 1735-40, from hum ("(dialectal and slang) to delude, impose on, cajole") + bug ("a specter, goblin")

Noun

1. A hoax, prank or jest
2. A fraud or sham
3. A fraudster or cheat
4. (British) A type of chewy sweet (candy)

Full definition of humbug

Interjection

1. nonsense!
• 1843, Charles Dickens, , ,‘A Merry Christmas, uncle! God save you!’ cried a cheerful voice. It was the voice of Scrooge’s nephew, who came upon him so quickly that this was the first intimation he had of his approach.‘Bah!’ said Scrooge, ‘Humbug!’

Verb

1. To play a trick on.
2. To cheat, swindle.

Derived terms

• humbugger
• humbuggery

Usage notes

The spellings humbuging and humbuged exist, but are not nearly so common as humbugging and humbugged.