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humbug

/ˈhʌmbʌɡ/

noun

Meaning

  • A hoax, jest, or prank.

  • A fraud or sham (countable); hypocrisy (uncountable).

  • A fraudster, cheat, or hypocrite.

  • Nonsense.

  • A type of hard sweet (candy), usually peppermint flavoured with a striped pattern.

  • Anything complicated, offensive, troublesome, unpleasant or worrying; a misunderstanding, especially if trivial.

  • (African American Vernacular) A fight.

  • (African American Vernacular) A gang.

  • A false arrest on trumped-up charges.

  • (Perhaps by extension) The piglet of the wild boar.

verb

Meaning

  • To play a trick on someone, to cheat, to swindle, to deceive.

  • (African American Vernacular) To fight; to act tough.

  • To waste time talking.

interjection

Meaning

  • Balderdash!, nonsense!, rubbish!