Dictionary of Phrase and Fable—H

Humbug

A correspondent in Notes and Queries (March 5th, 1892) suggests as the fons et origo of this word the Italian Uomo bugiardo, a lying man.

To hum used to signify “to applaud,” “to pretend admiration,” hence “to flatter,” “to cajole for an end,” “to deceive.”

“He threatened, but behold! `twas all a hum.”

Peter Pindar i. 436.

“`Gentlemen, this humming [expression of applause] is not at all becoming the gravity of this court.” —State Trials (1660).

Source: Dictionary of Phrase and Fable, E. Cobham Brewer, 1894
Hume
Humble Pie
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

More on Humbug from Fact Monster:

  • P. T. Barnum - Barnum, P. T. Barnum, P. T. (Phineas Taylor Barnum), 1810–91, American showman, b. Bethel, ...
  • Shreveport - Shreveport Shreveport , city (1990 pop. 198,525), seat of Caddo parish, NW La., on the Red River ...
  • Tiny Tim - Biography of Tiny Tim, The sickly tyke in A Christmas Carol
  • Al Jaffee - Biography of Al Jaffee, The cartoonist who does MAD magazine fold-ins
  • The Horn Book Award - The Horn Book Award For the most outstanding juvenile books in the U.S.: one award for outstanding ...

Related Content