humbug

[A compound of hum to cheat, to hoax, and bug a bugbear, a ghost, hence, a false charm, a sham, a bugbear. The word first occurs on the title page of The Universal Jester, being a choice collection of bonmots and humbugs, by Ferdinando Kill i grew, about 1735-40.] humbug I. Ordinary Language : 1. A hoax; a piece of trickery or imposition played off under fair or specious appearances. 2. A spirit of deception or trickery; a disposition to deceive; falsene , pretense; as, There is a great deal of humbug about him. 3. A humbugger, a cheat, an impostor, a trickster. II. Manège : A pair of nippers for grasping the cartilage of the nose of bulls and horses. hăm-bug, v. t. [HUMBUG, 8.] To cheat, to hoax, to deceive, to play a hoax or trick on; to take in.