Daily Nashville patriot. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1860-1862, 1861-11-06
On thc Etymology OF Humbug.
Tho ondon Welcome G,f,sf fhua descu ssa

The London Welcome Oue& mus discusses
that popular subject--bumbug . Z I"
e1q A great many regardless theories have
been ventilated from time TO time about the
origin of this very familiar term. The most
popular of these is that which ascribes it to
q corruption of the word Hamburg, in which
city, during some continental campaign, SO
many canards were fabricated relative to the
fortunes of the rival forces, that at length it
is said it became customary, when expressing
incredulity at any statement, to remark,
.That is from Hamburg" or. "That is Ham
burg."s But, Sc non e zero erbefs Tordo, as the
Italians say; if not correct, this derivation is
very well Invented, phrase which may like
wise be applied to the hypothesis advanced by
Scotland for its origin. There was, as the
story goes, in ssauld lang syne," family
called Bogne, or Boag, in Berwickshire, a
daughter of which married son of Hume,
whose Representatives are still in existence.
In time, in default of male issue. the Bogne
estate reverted to one GeOrdie Hume, who
was popularity called "Hume of the Bogne,"
or "Aum o. the Bug" the name of Bogne
being thus pronounced in. that district of
Scotland then called "Thes Mearns.', This
worthy so successfully riyalled Baron Mum
chausel in his relations of the marvellous,
that at length any extraordinary saverment
in the locality was treated as 'just a hum of
the bug" afterwards contracted to humbug.
i
by James III. frcm the Dublin Mint was COM
posed of such worthless materials that Will
liam III, shortly after the battle of Boyne,
. ordered the crowns and half crowns co be
legally recognized merely as pence and half
pence. This base metal was known to the
Irish as aim bog. pronounced oom bug, and in
the course of trade such phrases as .fthat's a
piece of aim bog, &c., were frequent, and
are thought by many to have suggested
humbug. Lest Ireland's claim to the pater-
nifty of the word should be disputed, one en-
thusiastic etymolOgist has traced il to a
Monsieur Humbug, a famous Partisan mdire
de danse who lourished in Capel street, Dub
lin, in the year 1777, and whose advertise
ments appeared in all the journals of the
period. =,
After all, Notwithstanding the vraisem5lancs
of some of the preceding hypothesis, the true
course of the word is simple enough. For
merly, at public places. to hum was a popu-
lar mode of expressing appreciation and APP
plause. We find the following notice of the
habit In Harrison's estate Trials of the Reign
of Charles IL. in 1902 Here the specta.
tors hummed.) Lord Chief Bacon: Gentle
man, his humming is not all becoming the
gravity of this court. 1t is more fitting for
a stage play than for court Of justice"
Johnson also, in his "Life of Sprat," thus
alludes to it "There prevailed in those days
an indecent custom, when the preacher
touched any favorite topic in a manner that
delighted his audience, the appreciation was
expressed by loud hum, continued in pro-
portion to their zeal or pleasure. When
Barnes preached part of his congregation
hummed so loudly aud 30 long that he sat
down to enjoy it, and rubbed his face with
his handkerchief. When Sprat preached he
likewise was honored with the like animal
ing ham; but he stretched out his hand to the
cor gregation and cried, Peace, peace; Ipray
you, peace I" The word was hence extend
ed to imply cajoling, fattery. &C., as appears
by the following distitch from Brookes |:
,ssBeauty. by ancien. tradition we find, Hsss zaa -
Has delightfully."- hummed the whole race Of mankind
In Crosses Dictionary of the Vulgar
Tongue to hum means to deceive, in which
sense it is also employed by Peter Pindar !:
ssFull many trope from bayonet and drum tl 3.
He threatened; bnt behold twas all hum - ei.-s'
The word bug is of Celtic origin, and signi-
fies some terrific spectre or goblin. Frequent
instances of its use by some of the most dis
tnguished authors might be adduced. In
his defence of the Apologize Jewel writes !:
"Yet were they but fools and madde-menne,
to think that either SO mighty prince could
be feared with buages and rattles.n Thus,
too, Shakespeare IN the flaming of the
Shrew ;natso oiii ssti'e 7s2 ga ,IDs - it@is1 90
.srush / tush fear boys with bugs. 80 Z.
Bug is the root of The Scotch bugle, and is
probably Identical with the Icelandic puki
(spiritus asaluss Two other familiar expres-
sions HAYES also q connection with the word.
sAs silly children dare not bend their eye, - ssas
Where they are told strange bugbeares haunt the
- place. n--FAIRFzx GopFREY OF BounIoS. -
ssJocky, my love, nay don't you cry; t,szso 4.
+ sIakeyou abroad Indeed, NOT I, llr a.1s
For all the bugaboes TO fright yeh $ -,
81 G x<.x-r> ftxrrw