This week’s theme
Linked words

This week’s words
gung ho
ho-hum
humbug
bugbear
bear leader

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A.Word.A.Day

PRONUNCIATION:

(HUHM-buhg)

MEANING:

noun:	1. Nonsense; pretense; deception.
	2. An impostor or fraud.
	3. A kind of hard mint-flavored candy (British).
adjective:	Deceptive.
verb tr., intr.:	To deceive or hoax.

ETYMOLOGY:

Of unknown origin. Earliest documented use: 1750.

USAGE:

“It is difficult to judge whether the hard talk by either side is humbug or an intractable position.”
Neither Side Will Win if Britain Exits the Single Aviation Market; The Economist (London, UK); Mar 22, 2017.

See more usage examples of humbug in Vocabulary.com’s dictionary.

A THOUGHT FOR TODAY: