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humbug

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(hum′bug′)

noun

1. something made or done to cheat or deceive; fraud; sham; hoax
2. misleading, dishonest, or empty talk; nonsense
a person who is not what he claims to be; impostor
a spirit of trickery, deception, etc.
Brit. a striped hard candy

Origin: 18th-c. slang: orig. reference uncert.

transitive verb humbugged, humbugging

to dupe; deceive

interjection

nonsense

Related Forms:

humbugger noun
humbuggery noun

See humbug in American Heritage Dictionary 4

noun

Something intended to deceive; a hoax or fraud.
A person who claims to be other than what he or she is; an impostor.
Nonsense; rubbish.
Pretense; deception.

interjection

Used to express disbelief or disgust.

verb hum·bugged, hum·bug·ging, hum·bugs

verb, transitive

To deceive or trick.

verb, intransitive

To practice deception or trickery.

Origin:

Origin: Origin unknown

Related Forms:

humˈbugˌger noun

humˈbugˌger·y noun

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