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Class Names and Nicknames: Hume

A Humbug is one whose representations, though sounding plausible enough, are not to be relied upon. The origin of this word is as follows: In olden times there resided in the neighbourhood of the Mearns, in Scotland, a gentleman of landed property whose name was Hume, and whose estate was known as "The Bogue." Owing to the great falsehoods which this "Hume of the Bogne" was in the habit of relating about himself, his family, and everything connected with his affairs, it became customary, as often as the people of that district heard anything at all remarkable or absurd to exclaim, "That is a Hume of the Bogue." The word 240 spelt in its present form first appeared on the titlepage of "The Universal Jester: a choice collection of bonmots and humbugs," published by Fernando Killigrew about the year 1736. The assurance that Humbug is of such old date can scarcely tend to our satisfaction.

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