Most likely one of the first things that comes to mind with the mention of the word 'humbug' nowadays is the character of Scrooge in Charles Dickens Classic tale, A Christmas Carol first published December 19, 1843.
A (fixed) game at blindman's buff, illustration by Sol Eytinge, Jr.(1833-1905), A Christmas Carol
"A Merry Christmas, uncle! God save you!" cried a cheerful voice. It was the voice of Scrooge's nephew, who came upon him so quickly that this was the first intimation he had of his approach.
"Bah!" said Scrooge. "Humbug!"He Had so heated himself with rapid walking in the fog and frost, this nephew of Scrooge's, that he was all aglow; his face was ruddy and handsome; his eyes sparkled, and his breath smoked again.
"Christmas a humbug, uncle? said Scrooge's nephew. "You don't mean that, I am sure!"
"I do," said Scrooge. "Merry Christmas! What right have you to be merry? What reason have you to be merry? You are poor enough."
"Come, then," returned the nephew gaily. "What right have you to be dismal? What reason have you to be morose? You're rich enough."Scrodge having no better answer ready on the spur of the moment, said, "Bah!" again: and followed it up with "Humbug!" - Stave I ~paragraph 13
The word humbug carries a few different meanings. It seems that the primary classical meaning attested from the mid 18th century is "trick, jest, hoax, deception".
A humbug is a person or object that behaves in a deceptive or dishonest way, usually as a hoax or in jest.-Wikipedia
It is used both as a noun and a verb. According to Dictionary.com:
noun
1. something intended to delude or deceive.
2. the quality of falseness or deception.
3. a person who is not what he or she claims to be; impostor.
4. something devoid of sense or meaning; nonsense: a humbug of technical jargon.
5. British . a hard mint candy
verb (used with object), humbugged, humbugging
6. to impose upon by humbug or false pretense; delude; deceive
verb (used without object), humbugged, humbugging
7. to practice humbug.
interjection
8. nonsense!
Scrooge often uses the word as an interjection in the story. Christmas? Humbug! Merriment? Humbug! Seeing and hearing strange phantoms, creaking, and moaning in his house when he is alone in the dark? Humbug! However, it is also possible that the interjection is sometimes intended to carry the meaning that Scrooge views Christmas as a trick or scam.
"And yet," said Scrooge, you don't think me ill -used, when I pay a day's wages for no work."
The clerk observed that it was only once a year.
"A poor excuse for picking a man's pocket every twenty-fifth of December! said Scrooge… - Stave I
In Middle English bugge/bogge is "something frightening, frightening specter, scarecrow,"(late 14th century) now obsolete except in words like bogeyman, from German bogge, boggelman "goblin," bugbear, and bugaboo.
connected by Chappman["Dictionary of American Slang"] with Bugibu, a demon in the Old French poem "Aliscans" from 1141, which is perhaps of Celtic origin(compare Cornish bucca-boo, from bucca "bogle, goblin). -Online Etymology Dictionary
Scottish bogill is "goblin, bugbear" and old Welsh bwg is"ghost, goblin," and bwgwl "threat", with an earlier meaning of "fear." It is true that most people would think the appearance of such boogymen as nonsense or humbug. Ghosts and goblins are not real, right?
A Bugge- Scarecrow, by OdessaSawyer, deviantart
There is the speculation with these 'bugge' words that they may have come from a root word meaning goat, as in the word buck. Before c.1300 buck had the meaning of "male goat" rather than "male dear", from Proto-Germanic *bukkon(Old Saxon buck, Middle Dutch boc, Dutch bok, Old High German boc, German Bock, Old Norse bokkr) which is said to be perhaps from PIE root *bhugo(Avestan buza "buck, goat", Armenian buc "lamb").
It seems likely that these goblin/boogyman words have this 'goat' connection because of the fear of, and demonization of pagan figures such as the goat god Pan, and other mythological/religious figures who were portrayed with various animal features, and who were possessing of earthy natures.
Arthur Rackham, illustration of Pan from Wind and the Willows- chapter 7; The Piper at the Gates of Dawn, photo British Library
In Shakespeare's Midsummer Night's Dream, Puck, aka Robin Goodfellow, is a mischievous sprite. We might say he is a master of humbug; a trickster. Pouk/pouke, from Old English pucce/pucel "goblin" was a common medieval name for the devil, who was sometimes pictured as goblin-like, hairy, grotesque, frightening, or goatish, like the Greek god Pan. Often P's and B's are interchanged in languages. Depending on who is speaking the word and what written system(if any) is used, puck and buck are very similar in sound, and, I would think, most likely related.
Illustration from the title page of Robin Goodfellow; His Mad Pranks and Merry Jests (1629)
The word poke might be related to 'buck' as well, I would think. The meaning "to push, prod, thrust" is from c.1300, also puken "to poke, nudge", of uncertain etymology, they say, perhaps related to Middle Dutch poken "to poke"(Dutch beuken), or Middle Low German poken "to stick with a knife especially with something pointed. However, it seems very plausible to me that because goats(bucks) have a pushy nature and they often buck and nudge, that poke has to do with goat behavior. Goats are quite unruly and mischievous compared with sheep.
Tree Climbing Goats, horse nation.com
Furthermore, I wouldn't be surprised if some of the slang words used for the sexual act came from 'buck' as well. One being 'poke', the other rhymes with 'buck'. Especially since Pan and the satyrs were seen as being very lustful.
In biblical Hebrew sair is "buck, male goat", also "demon, satyr", and "hairy, shaggy" or "hairy goat "
So they shall no more slay their sacrifices for satyrs[sa'iyr "devils, goat demons, hairy ones"] after whom they play the harlot. Leviticus 17:7
And in Hebrew the word sa'ar(from sear "hair, hairs, hairy") means "afraid, horribly afraid, fear, tempestuous". Maybe this is from the notion of hair standing on end and bristling when one is afraid. Or perhaps from the appearance of the object of fear as being hairy in some way[maybe even bristly, or with 'wings', or 'horns' as *ker is related to sar "chief, prince, ruler official" in Hebrew as discussed in a different post Be Fruitful and Multiply]. Or a hairy, i.e., difficult; hazardous situation. This is a similar to bwg(goblin) and bwggwl(fear), and words in English that are named from the god Pan and the supposed feeling a person would have at his approach, i.e., panic, and the result, pandemonium.
Jacob who was chalaq "smooth"(in Hebrew)Genesis 27:11, and therefore, arom "naked" of hair, made a deal to take the marked, nacod "speckled" and striped goats for himself and leave the white(might we say "bald", as in bald eagle) goats for Laban his father-in-law Genesis 30-31. The nacod(speckled) and striped ones were perhaps the ones stripped of dignity, and therefore 'naked', as were Adam and Eve in the garden after the fall. Naked is exposed, maybe 'exposed' as being 'not perfect'; not white and pure. When Jacob and Laban finally make peace, Jacob leaves and goes to his brother, Esau, the sair "hairy" son of Issac, whom Jacob had also dealt slyly with, like the snake in the garden of Eden who was more arum "crafty, shrewd, sensible" than all the other creatures. Esau lived in the land of Seir(from the same as sear). That is fitting.
And Jacob sent messengers before him to Esau his brother in the land of Seir, the country of Edom Genesis 32:3
Seir was in the country of Edom which was another name for Esau. Esau sold his birthright for the adom adom "red potage, red stuff(literally red red)" and was therefore called Edom Genesis 25:30. This is because Edom is from adom meaning "red, ruddy". Also adom is how Esau is described when he is born Genesis 25:25.
Esau was the rudy hairy(goatish) lustful(for food) one. Esau was the one who looked like a goat, and was unrefined, but Jacob was really the humbug, i.e., the deceptive one, of the two. Labon also dealt deceptively with Jacob, tricking him into marrying Leah and changing his wages ten times, but Jacob tricked him back with goat breeding, and ended up sneaking off. His wife, Rachel, also decieved her father, Laban, when she stole his teraphim "household gods" and deceptively hid them, so she would not be caught with them Genesis 31:19.
Rachel and Jocob, by James Tissot(1836-1902)
In Latin pilare is "to strip of hair", and pilus "a hair". This is interesting in that pillars are smooth, and pillar-like structures make up containments for animals like goats.
We write with pillars, i.e., styles. A sty is a pen for pigs. In Old English sti, stig is "hall, pen", stiga in Old High German "a pen for small animals", Sweedish stia "pen for swine, sheep, goats, etc." And stalu is "wooden part" in Old English.
In Latin penna, pinna is "a feather, plume;" in plural "wing;" also "fin, scoop of a water wheel;" and "a pinacle; battlement;" from PIE root *pet "to rush; to fly".
So both pillars and pens have similarities with hairs and quills. Hair is from Old English hær, from Proto-Germanic *khaeran, perhaps from PIE *ghers "to stand out, to bisttle, rise to a point"(cognate: Lithuanian serys "bristle"), but, of course, here again this is similar to the root for horn, PIE *ker- (1) "horn, head, uppermost part of the body". Pinnacles and pens made of stakes are pointed things like the bristly hair of animals and horns. And in Latin horror is "dread, veneration, religious awe", from horrere "to bristle with fear, shutter", from PIE root *ghers- "to bristle".
Waiting in a pen for slaughter would be very horrifying, provided that one was aware of the situation. A sty may be a pen that is an enclosure to provide safety and/or a pen for rounding up for the slaughter. Baa! Humbug!
Sheep waiting for the slaughter. Are the pens keeping them safe or keeping them in?
Parchment and drumheads, such as the bodheran in Ireland, and the bedug in Indonesia, are made from non tanned goat skins.
A goat, i.e., buckskin on a buck(frame). Central European(Northern) type of finished parchment made of goatskin- wikipedia
The word book comes from Old English boc "book, writing, written document", traditionally from Proto-Germanic, *bok(o)- , from *bokiz "beech"(German Buch "book" Buche "beech" from same source), however books were commonly made from goatskin parchment before paper books were the norm.
The word beech is from Proto-Germanic *bokjon-, from PIE root *bhago- "beech tree", cognate with Greek phegos "type of oak(acorn food source)" and Latin fagus "beech", connected with the Greek root phagein "to eat", and sometimes "gluttony", Greek phagos "eater of", Latin phagus, "eating", literally "to have a share of food", from PIE root *bhag- "to share out, apportion, distribute; to get a share; allot
*bokiz- = beech ---> *bok(o)- ---> boc = book ---> English book
Buche = book
*bhago = beech tree --->*bokjon- = beech ---> boece ---> bece = OE beech
phegos = oak(type of) ~ phagein = to eat
fagus = beech
*bhag- = to share out, apportion ---> phagos = eater of
phagus = eat
Fagus grandifolia, American Beech- Order Fagales, Family Fagaceae, Genus Fagus, illinoiswildflowers.info
According to the etymological dictionary beech mast was an ancient food source for agricultural animals across a wide stretch of Europe, and thus there is the connection with the Greek -phagos "to eat". Beechnuts also have a high fat content and can be pressed for edible oil. However it seems that there could be another plausible connection to buck, as well. The word buckwheat from 1540's, comes from Middle Dutch boecweite "beech wheat", due to the resemblance of its grains to beech seeds. So there is a connection between the words for goat(buck, bucca Old English), beech(boec), apportion(bhag), and eating(phagos).
In the Genesis story, the goats were apportioned, alloted, or assigned by their appearance, and they made Jocob wealthy. They were his wages. And Jacob would have eaten well because of his goats. Even the goats themselves are a fatty food source, i.e., shamen in Hebrew "fat, rich, robust". A wage is a Wadja "pledge" in Frankish(related to Ancient Egyptian wadjet "papyrus", i.e., paper?). The pledge or allotment(bhag) of Jacob were the goats(bucks)$$$. And parchment made from goatskin is similar in color and appearance to beech bark and beech paper(upon which a pledge might be formally written). So the beech, i.e., fagus, was used as food source for animals and physically resembles parchment.
Parchment is written upon with styles or quills.
A pen or fortress of styles
Borough is from Old English burg, burh "a dwelling or dwellings within a fortified enclosure", from Proto-Germanic *burgs "hill fort, fortress". But what are forts made from? Sometimes timber, at lest part of the fortification, as well as the use of natural features, stone, wood and water features such as moats. And the word fort itself comes from Latin fortis "strong, mighty, firm, steadfast", from Old Latin forctus, possibly from PIE root *bhergh- (2) "high, elevated"(Sanskrit brmhati "strengthens, elevates", Old High German berg "hill". Having a fortified town or burg would certainly bug someone who wanted to invade.
It is appropriate also, then, that we eat(phagos) burgers. Maybe the word hamburger doesn't just have to do with the city of Hamberg. Perhaps there is a connection or connotation of hamburgers being a tasty, yummy fatty food[drool], or being made from meat of animals that are kept in burgs or fortified enclosures, which might also be made from beech wood steaks.
In-N-Out Double Double Animal Style. Fortify yourself against hunger and eat a hamburger.
Burgers are not the most delicate or refined of foods. But they sure taste good! And they get the job done just as well, by certain standards. Hamburgers are not generally considered to be fine dining.
If Esau was a food he would most likely be a hamburger, and Jacob . . . well he is an experience, you'll have to come in for that. Jacob is the smooth arum, snakey one, and Esau is the lusty hairy sair, goatish one. Two sides of the same coin those twins.
In Hebrew "chosen portion" is cheleq, and Jacob(Yaaqob) was born chelaq "smooth, flattering". He was the crafty(na kal), heel(aqob), supplanter(aqob) of his brother. Esau was first born and should have taken the corresponding bhag(share), however he was a buck, or hairy one. Even Issac, the father of Esau and Jacob loved the hairy one, the first born, the obvious one more . . . but God always has his own plans.
Sometimes the high(bhergh) born are conceited or they can become soft. The burgomaster, being master of the town, will probably be someone who has plenty, and who eats well. Sometimes having power and being well off can lead to gluttony, and sexual immorality.
King Herod, presumably a phagein, Jesus Christ Superstar, 1973
Therefore, because those who are gluttonous(phagein) often seek out new pleasures in the form of exotic, different, and/or excessive food, drink and sex, we get the notion of "faggots" as individuals who engage in homosexual sexual relations. However there is a difference between excessive perverse sexual indulgence(as in Sodom and Gomorrah), and the homosexual sexual orientation(which simply indicates a sexual attraction to a person of the same gender). Also the goat god, Pan, was portrayed as being very lusty. And Dionysus, another chthonic god, was often portrayed indulging in food and wine. Dionysus was often quite lit, i.e., drunk. What fags!
Humbugs are traditional British hard boiled candy often with stripped pattern. The earliest record of humbugs is from the 1820's.
UK Taverners Mint Humbug, Pacific Candy Wholesale
Traditional Black Striped Mint Humbugs
Humbug Damselfish, Dascyllus aruanus
Why do these candies take the name 'humbug', given what has been said? Curious. Perhaps they are the 'trick' in Trick or Treat? The custom of dressing up and begging for treats at Hallomas can be traced back to the Middle Ages. Given the fact that humbugs were not, at first, traditionally a Christmas candy, and are often made with black stripes, this seems plausible. Also, it is the case that sugar candy became very popular in Europe during the Middle Ages, as well. The humbug itself may be considered to be a bit of a prank too, in that they give a surprise to the senses when the mint flavoring is tasted. Or there is the fact that candies were often used as digestives, and therefore, maybe somewhat deceptively, administered a person medicine under the guise of being candy?
Just a spoon full of sugar helps the medicine go down in a most delightful way. - Mary Poppins, 1964
Humbug!
They certainly aren't hairy…hum…demonic? Some people say sweet things are tempting, and tempting comes from the devil, right? Maybe they are just a small piece…so you just have one…and then just another little mint… and another? Or maybe the trick is that its not a whole candy stick, like a candy cane, but just a little piece? What a jip, humbug!
There was a tragic Mr. Gower-like incidence with humbugs in Branford, England in 1858 which would most likely have affected the name at the time in some manner, especially since the maker of the humbugs was known as 'Humbug Billy'. He accidentally had a batch of his candy made with arsenic(instead of 'daft' which was a variable plaster powered substance often used as a cheap sugar filler at the time[which itself is humbug!]) in it and and around 200 people got sick and 20 died. Ooops! That is a daft mistake to be sure!
Mr. Gower nearly avoids poisoning his client because of the thoughtful intervention of George Bailey, It's a Wonderful Life, 1946
It doesn't seem likely, however, that candy makers would name their candy after the fact that they were making their own candy in a deceptive manner, but who knows? That would certainly be demonic to put it right out there like that, knowing that people would take it to mean something less insidious, such as, just a playful name, maybe like hobgoblin, bugaboo candy, or something like that, made to be consumed on All Hallows Eve.
In Greek khthonios means "of the earth", from khthon / chthon "the earth", from PIE root *dhghem- "earth", cognate with Greek khamai "on the ground", and Latin humus "earth, soil", humilis "low"; Sanskirt ksam- "earth". So if Pan was a rustic chthonic god, then he was also a 'hum'-god, or 'hum'-goat, and therefore a humbuck. This would be similar to the Egyptian, Set, and Norse, Loki, in that they are often portrayed with what we consider to be demonic features. Also, Set and Loki were, in fact, trickster gods, and therefore humbugs of sorts.
Witches Sabbath or The Great He-Goat(Spanish: Aquelarre or El gran carbon), Francisco Goya, 1821-1823, Museo Del Prado, Madrid
One of the suggestions for the origin of the 'hum' in humbug is stated in Wikipedia as being from Charles Godfrey Leland(1824-1903).
Leland mentions the idea that the word could be derived from the Norse word hum, meaning 'night' or 'shadow', and the word bugges(used in the Bible), a variant of bogey, meaning 'apparitions'. The Norse word hum mentioned, or hume, actually means 'dark air' in Old Norwegian. From the other languages based on Old Norse, there is hum in Icelandic which means 'twilight', homi in Faeroese which means 'unclear', and humi in Old Swedish which means 'dark suspicion', documented back to 1541. From this word is also derived the Swedish verb hymla, still in use, which means 'to conceal, hide, not commit to the truth'. -wikipedia
This seems to be in keeping with the origin of the word being something like humus, since earthy things are seen as being soiled and dark compared to heavenly things, and also, things are concealed and hidden within the earth in chasms and caves. The location of the underworld and hell is somewhere down there.
...As to the question which was posed to me and the actual purpose of this post:
Series Published 1969-2004, Historical fiction set during the Napoleonic Wars, 1803-1815
The question was, "In the Aubry-Maturin series Captain Aubry was particularly miffed when a midshipman announced 'Humbug' was the name of the ship. Why did the captain take such offense?"
Considering everything that has been brought to light regarding the word 'humbug'...I don't think any of it is actually relevant to the question, in the end, other than the fact that it seems to indicate that 'humbug' does not appear to be an obscenity. The answer might be simply in this, it's meaning as, "something devoid of sense or meaning; nonsense". I was not able to acquire and read the entire passage in question myself, however, if my theory is correct, it could be that the captain thought the midshipman was being cheeky or insubordinate in shouting down, "Humbug", or at best, that the midshipman was not able to determine the name of the ship, and informally shouted down, "Humbug", when the captain asked for the name of the ship. When, in fact, the true name of the ship was indeed Humbug. Just an odd unusual name. So it wouldn't be that the word 'humbug' was itself thought of as being obscene. But it would be obscene to yell, "Humbug", at the captain when you are supposed to be telling him the name of the vessel.
What do you think? Is this all a humbug?
