[Sometimes words die out of fashion. But sometimes those words are good words, words with a certain appeal that can't be denied forever. Those words should be brought back into fashion, used frequently and used often. These are those words.]
Word:
Humbug
Definition:
noun (and adjective)
A hoax; deceptive or false talk; a jesting or befooling trick; an imposition.
verb
To deceive; to trick.
Origin:
Humbug came into vogue around 1750, but beyond that--who knows?
No one knows. Not Merriam-Webster, not Reference, not the OED. When the OED gives up on you as a word, that's sad.
Wiktionary claims it comes from the combination of the slang for hum (to delude) and bug (a specter, a goblin). That sounds as good as any other rationale, except they don't back it up with any origination facts.
So let's all just give a hat-tip to good ol' Ebenezer and leave it at that.
Most obscure UrbanDictionary.com definitions of 'humbug':
(Everything verbatim)
4. A humbug is a very rare insect that crawls up your butt when you sleep, and starts humming songs.
6. A person that begs alot. They usually are cool so u let them in ur clique but u hate to be around them cuz they snakes they lie, sometimes are lame and they beg alot.
7. What you get if you cross a Hummer with a VW.
11. A sweet that all old people eat.
12. A round black and white marbled inconsistancy in the otherwise yellow shit of a young baby and caused by previously taking a spoonful of gripe water.
13. The act of turning your dog upside down and licking it's testicles.
15. an annoying person who loves to lick his toes.
Used in a holiday sentence:
Ghost of Christmas Past? Humbug!
Word Awesomeness Scale (1-to-5):
Four
It sounds pissy and crotchety. And pissy and crotchety is good at the holidays.
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