Bah humbug
- idiom
- Informal
:
Bah humbug
- Bah humbug
Examples
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Bah humbug
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Bah, humbug!
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When the holiday decorations went up, he sighed and muttered, "Bah humbug!"
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She rolled her eyes and exclaimed, "Bah humbug! I can't stand all this Christmas cheer!"
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Feeling grumpy about the celebrations, he dismissed the singers with a wave and said, "Bah humbug to all of this!"
Synonyms
282
7.9
A short sound people make to show disgust or annoyance
40
9.3
A short sound people make to show they feel annoyed or do not believe something
18
8.9
A quick sound that shows scorn or disbelief
8
9.7
A short sound to show dislike or boredom
7
9.3
A sound people make to show disgust or annoyance
6
9.9
A quick sound you make to show you do not like or take someone seriously
1
9.9
A short sound showing doubt or annoyance
1
9.9
A short sound used to show disgust, disbelief, or dismissal
1
9.9
A short sound showing disbelief or refusal
1
9.9
A short sound people say to show dislike or disgust
1
9.9
A short sound to show disbelief or dislike
1
9.9
A short gruff sound that shows annoyance or disapproval
A short word people say to show they do not believe or respect something
A short sound people use as a reply to show annoyance or disbelief
A short phrase people say to show they do not care and think something is not needed
Surface Forms
Morphology
Both constituents directly contribute to the overall meaning: 'bah' is an interjection of scorn/annoyance and 'humbug' denotes nonsense or deceit, so together they form a dismissive exclamation meaning something like 'nonsense!' or 'I disapprove.' Although the phrase has a Dickensian association with Christmas, its literal parts make the expression's contemptuous force readily inferable to a B1 learner who knows both words.
Etymology
The exclamation Bah humbug comes from Charles Dickens' story 'A Christmas Carol', where the grumpy man Scrooge shouts Bah! and calls everything humbug to mean 'nonsense'. That's why today people say Bah humbug to show contempt or to reject festive cheer.