40:
519:
62:
389:
The word has been used outside anglophone countries for well over a century. For instance, in
Germany it has been known since the 1830s, in Sweden since at least 1862, in France since at least 1875, in Hungary, and in Finland.
460:
When there is danger or necessity, or when he is well used, no one can work faster than he; but the instant he feels that he is kept at work for nothing, or, as the nautical phrase is, 'humbugged,' no sloth could make less
320:) could also be connected, and was thought in the past to be the origin of the English term, however more recent studies indicate that it is a borrowing from the much older Middle English word. Also, with
129:", declaring Christmas to be a fraud, is commonly used in stage and screen versions and also appeared frequently in the original book. The word is also prominently used in the 1900 book
757:, Brian Cooper 1, Department of Slavonic Studies, University of Cambridge, Correspondence to Department of Slavonic Studies, University of Cambridge, Sidgwick Avenue, Cambridge CB3 9DA
539:
147:
72:'s humbugging depicts the public as a credulous simpleton being distracted by a display of "the miraculous", the better to have his pockets picked.
794:
774:
742:
722:
702:
682:
178:(1750–1751), ii. 41, where it is called "a word very much in vogue with the people of taste and fashion", and in Ferdinando Killigrew's
534:
88:, and recorded in 1840 as a "nautical phrase". It is now also often used as an exclamation to describe something as hypocritical
107:, implying an element of unjustified publicity and spectacle. In modern usage, the word is most associated with the character
166:, a dentist. To the stunned audience at the Massachusetts General Hospital, Warren declared, "Gentlemen, this is no humbug."
155:
163:
32:
131:
921:
547:
221:
140:
39:
21:
350:, which literally means 'lying man'. There was considerable Italian influence on English at the time (e.g.
560:
451:
189:
151:
474:
381:
267:
in
English indeed originally meant 'to deceive'. To combine this early medieval Scandinavian word with
248:
which means 'dark suspicion', documented back to 1541. From this word is also derived the
Swedish verb
324:
meaning ghost or goblin, the use of the term applies in
Dickens' novel about the Christmas ghosts. In
354:'s numerous Italian-based plays, approximately 150 years before the first recorded use of 'humbug').
385:, there is a large beetle-like insect known as the Humbug, who is hardly ever right about anything.
351:
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One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in the
372:
344:
245:
108:
28:
931:
755:
Lexical reflections inspired by
Slavonic *bog : English bogey from a Slavonic root?
112:
332:
also proposed a similar theory, although using contemporary versions of the words, where
926:
571:
The Haunts, Homes, and Habits of
Witches in The South Slavic Lands – Bogeys and Humbugs
361:
276:
182:, subtitled "a choice collection of many conceits ... bon-mots and humbugs" from 1754.
136:
677:
by
Sherman M. Kuhn, Hans Kurath, Robert E. Lewis, University of Michigan Press, 1958,
915:
530:
525:
376:
260:
217:
185:
There are many theories as to the origin of the term, none of which has been proven:
159:
631:
828:
406:
329:
850:
568:
654:
80:
is a person or object that behaves in a deceptive or dishonest way, often as a
61:
364:, worthless money, but there is no evidence of a clear connection to the term.
48:
193:
122:
93:
490:
895:
871:
789:, John Geraint Jenkins, Iorwerth Cyfeiliog Peate, Ayer Publishing, 1977,
607:
284:
104:
89:
543:. Vol. 13 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 876.
252:, still in use, which means 'to conceal, hide, not commit to the truth'.
583:
271:
from the
English Bible of a later date may seem far-fetched. The word
55:
299:
767:
Early Modern
Northern English Lexis: A Literary Corpus-Based Study
315:
158:. Dr. Warren performed the first public operation with the use of
100:
85:
60:
38:
27:"Bah humbug" redirects here. For the character who says this, see
367:
A modern conception is that it actually refers to a humming bug—
81:
735:
Metatony in Baltic, Volume 6 of Leiden studies in Indo-European
288:
is also derived) which is in turn a cognate of the German word
84:
or in jest. The term was first described in 1751 as student
192:
mentions the idea that the word could be derived from the
174:
The oldest known written uses of the word are in the book
896:"Dictionnaire de la Langue Francaise, Littré 1872–1877"
304:) is derived) and possibly the Norwegian dialect word
371:something small and inconsequential, such as a
715:The Merriam-Webster new book of word histories
99:When referring to a person, a humbug means a
8:
200:, meaning 'night' or 'shadow', and the word
769:, Javier Ruano-Garcia, Peter Lang, 2010,
43:Panorama of Humbug. No. 1, making fun of
512:
510:
508:
506:
208:, meaning 'apparitions'. The Norse word
872:"Svenska Akademiens ordbok s.v. Humbug"
697:, 11th edition, Merriam-Webster, 2003,
695:Merriam-Webster's collegiate dictionary
649:
647:
608:"'Svenska Akademiens ordbok s.v. Hymla"
398:
360:is supposed to mean 'soft copper' in
7:
584:"Svenska Akademiens ordbok s.v. Hum"
143:as a humbug, and the Wizard agrees.
31:. For other uses of the phrase, see
308:meaning "important man". The Welsh
204:(used in the Bible), a variant of
14:
632:"Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue"
565:Gypsy Sorcery and Fortune Telling
517:
375:, that makes a lot of noise. In
66:Humbugging, or raising the Devil
16:Slang term for fraud or nonsense
737:by Rick Derksen, Rodopi, 1996,
475:"The Genealogy of Mass General"
257:Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue
216:, actually means 'dark air' in
146:Another use of the word was by
336:meant to murmur applause, and
156:Massachusetts General Hospital
1:
655:"Online Etymology Dictionary"
224:based on Old Norse, there is
831:. word-detective. 2004-01-25
545:This further references the
343:It could also come from the
162:anesthesia, administered by
240:which means 'unclear', and
164:William Thomas Green Morton
33:Bah humbug (disambiguation)
953:
479:American Heritage Magazine
132:The Wonderful Wizard of Oz
121:. His famous reference to
18:
717:, Merriam-Webster, 1991,
675:Middle English Dictionary
473:Bennett, William (1984).
456:Two Years Before the Mast
232:which means 'twilight',
154:professor who worked at
540:Encyclopædia Britannica
452:Dana, Richard Henry Jr.
22:Humbug (disambiguation)
561:Charles Godfrey Leland
548:New English Dictionary
430:"Definition of Humbug"
407:"Definition of Humbug"
222:Scandinavian languages
190:Charles Godfrey Leland
152:Harvard Medical School
73:
58:
432:. Collin's Dictionary
382:The Phantom Tollbooth
64:
42:
787:Studies in folk life
275:is derived from the
180:The Universal Jester
115:in his 1843 novella
20:For other uses, see
352:William Shakespeare
282:(of which the term
148:John Collins Warren
74:
59:
853:. Etymologie.info
851:"etymologie.info"
795:978-0-405-10102-1
775:978-3-0343-0058-2
743:978-90-5183-990-6
723:978-0-87779-603-9
703:978-0-87779-809-5
683:978-0-472-01025-7
409:. Merriam-Webster
255:According to the
220:. From the other
118:A Christmas Carol
45:Phineas T. Barnum
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922:1750s neologisms
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898:. www.littre.org
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900:. Retrieved
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635:. Retrieved
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615:. Retrieved
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591:. Retrieved
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570:
567:, Chapter X
564:
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494:. Retrieved
485:(6): 41–52.
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434:. Retrieved
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141:Wizard of Oz
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127:Bah! Humbug!
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116:
98:
77:
75:
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876:www.saob.se
612:www.saob.se
588:www.saob.se
326:Etym. Diet.
294:böggel-mann
176:The Student
56:2004-665373
916:Categories
902:2013-07-22
881:2016-11-29
857:2011-12-10
835:2011-12-10
814:2011-12-10
661:2011-12-10
637:2011-12-10
617:2016-11-29
593:2016-11-29
496:2014-03-20
394:References
292:(of which
70:Rowlandson
49:Jenny Lind
937:Deception
685:, p. 1212
428:Collins.
379:'s novel
328:of 1898,
230:Icelandic
170:Etymology
137:Scarecrow
123:Christmas
94:gibberish
797:. p. 304
745:, p. 274
705:, p. 162
491:11634493
461:headway.
454:(1840).
436:3 August
413:3 August
238:Faeroese
105:impostor
90:nonsense
68:, 1800.
725:, p. 71
528::
373:cricket
358:Uim-bog
345:Italian
246:Swedish
244:in Old
932:Hoaxes
793:
773:
741:
721:
701:
681:
535:Humbug
522:
489:
300:Goblin
269:bugges
265:to hum
202:bugges
78:humbug
54:
927:Slang
362:Irish
316:ghost
306:bugge
290:bögge
285:bogey
280:Bugge
250:hymla
206:bogey
196:word
194:Norse
160:ether
101:fraud
86:slang
791:ISBN
771:ISBN
739:ISBN
719:ISBN
699:ISBN
679:ISBN
487:PMID
438:2012
415:2012
369:i.e.
242:humi
234:hĂłmi
214:hume
150:, a
82:hoax
52:LCCN
47:and
569:of
537:".
338:bug
334:hum
322:bug
310:bwg
273:bug
259:by
236:in
228:in
226:hĂşm
210:hum
198:hum
125:, "
103:or
92:or
918::
874:.
646:^
610:.
586:.
563:,
505:^
483:35
481:.
477:.
458:.
96:.
76:A
905:.
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838:.
817:.
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640:.
620:.
596:.
551:.
499:.
440:.
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318:"
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312:(
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298:"
296:(
35:.
24:.
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