{"id":7212,"date":"2019-12-12T15:53:58","date_gmt":"2019-12-12T20:53:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/english\/?p=7212"},"modified":"2021-04-11T14:29:17","modified_gmt":"2021-04-11T18:29:17","slug":"humbug-and-similar-english-exclamations","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/english\/humbug-and-similar-english-exclamations\/","title":{"rendered":"\u201cHumbug!\u201d and Similar English Exclamations"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Art by Arthur Rackham, Image courtesy of Pixabay, CCO<\/p><\/div>\n

\u201cChristmas a humbug, uncle!\u201d said Scrooge\u2019s nephew. \u201cYou don\u2019t mean that, I am sure?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

In the story A Christmas Carol<\/em>, by Charles Dickens, when his nephew wishes him a \u201cMerry Christmas\u201d, Ebenezer Scrooge exclaims, \u201cBah! Humbug!\u201d It is one of the enduring lines in English literature, known by nearly everyone. But, what exactly does it mean? And what is its origin?<\/p>\n

It is understood to mean something deceptive, false, and nonsensical. The word dates at least as far back as the mid-18th<\/sup> century when a book, The Student<\/em>, declared that it was, \u201c\u2026a word very much in vogue with the people of taste and fashion.” 100 years later, when the wealthy but miserly Scrooge utters it, fraudulent behavior to cheat money from the public was called humbuggery.<\/p>\n

There are several theories regarding the origin of the word. It may come from the Italian uomo bugiardo<\/em>, which means ‘lying man’. Or, dating back to the mid-18th<\/sup> century again, German newspapers were notorious for publishing false propaganda. Thus, the news from Hamburg was false and misleading, and Hamburg was playfully altered to humbug.<\/p>\n

A humbug is also a candy, or boiled sweet in England, which has been popular for at least as long as 250 years. A humbug is an oval-shaped hard toffee with an almond in the center or a mint hard candy with a toffee filling. Either way, they offer a surprise for the unsuspecting. Scrooge may have meant that the Christmas season was no more worthwhile than a piece of candy that offers one thing but delivers something else.<\/p>\n

In either case, humbug and words of a similar nature convey displeasure and mockery. You may prefer to say:<\/p>\n