humbug
gb/hˈʌmbˌʌɡ/ us/hˈʌmbˌʌɡ/
B2
English
szemfényvesztés, maszlag, átverés, szélhámos, sarlatán, rászed, átver, borsmentás keménycukorka
NOUN
C1
INFORMAL
1
maszlag
C1
Usage pattern:
(all) humbug; It's (all) humbug.
He dismissed the report as complete humbug.
A jelentést merő szemfényvesztésnek minősítette.
A lot of what you hear online is marketing humbug.
Amit online hallasz, annak nagy része csak marketinges szemfényvesztés.
She could tell the promise was mostly humbug.
Learner examples
That story is humbug.
Az a történet csak szemfényvesztés.
I think his excuse is humbug.
Szerintem a kifogása csak szemfényvesztés.
Common mistake:
Often used uncountably (“It’s humbug”), not just as “a humbug.”
Meaning
deceptive talk or nonsense
Collocations
complete humbug
|utter humbug
|pure humbug
|all humbug
|such humbug
|political humbug
|marketing humbug
|romantic humbug
|sentimental humbug
|a lot of humbug
Synonyms
nonsense (General word for ideas that are not true or sensible.)
|
hogwash (Stronger, more dismissive word for nonsense.)
|
baloney (Informal word for obvious nonsense, especially in American English.)
|
rubbish (Common UK term for nonsense.)
Antonyms
truth (The opposite of deceptive talk.)
|
sincerity (Genuine, honest feeling or speech.)
Themes
communication
|deception
|opinions
Definition
Nonsense or fake talk that tries to trick people.
Deceptive, insincere, or pretentious talk or behavior that is meant to mislead people or make something seem more important than it is; nonsense.
NOUN
C1
INFORMAL
2
átverés
B1
Usage pattern:
a humbug; a humbug about/over [something]
The ‘miracle cure’ turned out to be a humbug.
A "csodaszer" végül átverésnek bizonyult.
What looked like a prize draw was just a humbug to collect phone numbers.
Ami nyereményjátéknak tűnt, az csak egy átverés volt, hogy telefonszámokat gyűjtsenek.
Learner examples
The contest was a humbug.
A verseny átverés volt.
It was just a humbug to get money.
Ez csak egy átverés volt, hogy pénzt szerezzenek.
Common mistake:
Don’t confuse with “hamburger” or “humbug” (UK sweet).
Meaning
a sham or trick
Collocations
a complete humbug
|an obvious humbug
|a ridiculous humbug
|a cheap humbug
|an elaborate humbug
|a public humbug
Synonyms
sham (Emphasizes that something is not genuine.)
|
hoax (Emphasizes a deliberate trick or false story.)
|
fraud (More formal; often suggests illegality.)
Antonyms
the real thing (Something genuine rather than fake.)
|
authenticity (The quality of being genuine.)
Themes
deception
|crime_and_law
Definition
A trick that is meant to fool people.
A dishonest trick, hoax, or sham intended to deceive people.
NOUN
C2
LITERARY
3
Usage pattern:
[someone] is a humbug
He sounded impressive on TV, but in private he was a humbug.
A tévében lenyűgözően hangzott, de a valóságban szélhámos volt.
She refused to work with him, calling him a self-important humbug.
Nem volt hajlandó vele dolgozni, mert egy fontoskodó szélhámosnak tartotta.
Learner examples
He is a humbug.
Ő egy szélhámos.
She thinks the leader is a humbug.
Szerinte a vezető szélhámos.
Meaning
a hypocritical or fake person
Collocations
a pompous humbug
|an old humbug
|a self-important humbug
Synonyms
hypocrite (Focuses on pretending to have better morals than you do.)
|
fraud (Focuses on deception, often for advantage.)
|
impostor (Focuses on pretending to be someone you are not.)
Antonyms
straight-talker (Someone who speaks honestly and directly.)
|
genuine person (Someone sincere rather than fake.)
Themes
people
|deception
|social_life
Definition
A person who is fake and tries to trick others.
A person who deceives others, especially by pretending to be sincere, moral, or knowledgeable when they are not.
VERB
C2
LITERARY
4
Usage pattern:
humbug [someone]; humbug [someone] into [doing something]
He tried to humbug her into paying for extra services she didn’t need.
Megpróbálta rászedni, hogy olyan pluszszolgáltatásokért fizessen, amelyekre nem is volt szüksége.
They humbugged investors with inflated numbers.
Felfújt számokkal verték át a befektetőket.
Learner examples
Don’t let anyone humbug you.
Ne hagyd, hogy bárki rászedjen.
He humbugged me into buying it.
Rászedett, hogy megvegyem.
Meaning
deceive or trick someone
Collocations
humbug someone into agreeing
|humbug someone into signing
|humbug the public
Synonyms
deceive (Neutral, common verb for causing someone to believe something false.)
|
trick (More informal; often suggests a clever or playful deception.)
|
con (Informal; suggests persuading someone dishonestly, often for money.)
Antonyms
tell the truth (To give honest information instead of deceiving.)
|
be upfront (To be open and honest about intentions.)
Themes
deception
|communication
Definition
To trick someone.
To deceive or trick someone, often with smooth talk or a misleading story.
NOUN
B2
5
Usage pattern:
a humbug; a bag of humbugs
She bought a bag of peppermint humbugs for the train ride.
Vett egy zacskó borsmentás keménycukorkát a vonatútra.
My granddad always carried humbugs in his coat pocket.
A nagypapám mindig tartott borsmentás keménycukorkákat a kabátzsebében.
Learner examples
I ate a humbug.
Ettem egy borsmentás keménycukorkát.
He bought some humbugs.
Vett néhány borsmentás keménycukorkát.
Meaning
peppermint hard sweet (UK)
Collocations
peppermint humbugs
|striped humbugs
|a bag of humbugs
|traditional humbugs
Synonyms
sweet (General UK word; not specific to peppermint or hardness.)
|
candy (General US word; not specific to this type.)
Antonyms
savory food (Not sweet.)
Themes
food_and_drink
|uk
Definition
A hard peppermint sweet in the UK.
In British English, a small hard sweet, often peppermint-flavoured and sometimes striped.
Grammar
Dictionary form
humbug
IPA
GB/hˈʌmbˌʌɡ/
US/hˈʌmbˌʌɡ/
Syllables & stress
hum - bug (2 syllables)
Stress on 1st syllable (hum)
Word forms
Noun
- Base: humbug
- Plural: humbug, humbugs
Word family
Forms
humbugs
noun
Expressions
bah, humbug!
1/bˈɑ | hˈʌmbˌʌɡ ‖/
fixed phrase
literary
angry rejection of cheer
An old-fashioned way to say “That’s nonsense!”
Examples
- When everyone started singing carols, he muttered, “Bah, humbug!”
- She joked “Bah, humbug!” when the office planned a holiday party.
Learner examples
- He said, “Bah, humbug!”