What exactly does the expression “Bah, Humbug!” mean?

In Charles Dickens’ 1843 novella A Christmas Carol, Ebenezer Scrooge famously exclaims “Bah! ... Humbug!” to express his disdain for Christmas. While it's easy to think of “Humbug!” as just a word for disliking something popular, especially because of the cultural influence of this Victorian holiday classic, its meaning has evolved. Today, you might hear someone use 'humbug' to describe a person who complains about things like the Marvel Cinematic Universe, claiming its superhero films aren’t legitimate cinema.

However, Scrooge was not the originator of the word humbug, and his use of it carried a meaning more specific than merely stating “I dislike Christmas!”

The Mysterious Origins of Humbug

'Humbug' made its first written appearance in the 1750 edition of The Student, or the Oxford and Cambridge Monthly Miscellany. It was described as 'a word very much in vogue with the people of taste and fashion,' though it was said to lack even 'the faintest hint of meaning.' Essentially, it seemed to be a trendy slang term popular among the fashionable youth of the time, and its origins remain a mystery.

Despite its unclear beginnings, 'humbug' gained enough popularity for its meaning to become established. The Oxford English Dictionary defines it as 'a hoax; a jesting or deceptive trick,' or anything that 'is not really what it pretends to be,' such as a fraud or sham. Over time, it came to be used more broadly to mean 'nonsense.'

Why Scrooge Uses the Term 'Humbug'

Scrooge frequently calls Christmas 'humbug' because he believes the holiday is deceptive in multiple ways. He thinks it convinces people to feel joyful and thankful when they have no real cause to be. As he says to his nephew, 'What reason have you to be merry? You’re poor enough.'

Scrooge believes that society uses Christmas as an opportunity to extract money from the wealthy, like himself. He refuses to contribute to a Christmas charity for the poor, arguing that they should turn to existing institutions for help. Soon after, he grumbles about having to pay his clerk, Bob Cratchit, for an entire day off. 'A poor excuse for picking a man’s pocket every twenty-fifth of December!' he complains.

In essence, Dickens’s grumpy character views Christmas as a global financial and emotional scam—a humbug, in every sense of the word. The only exception is that Scrooge never uses the term 'humbug' in reference to the striped, peppermint-flavored hard candies of the same name. These 'humbugs' have been around in the UK since at least the 1820s, so it’s likely that Scrooge would have been familiar with them as well.