humbug
ペテン師、いんちき者
解説 Definition
humbug は、もっともらしい肩書や話術で人を信用させるいんちき者を指す名詞。特に自称専門家、偽治療師、怪しい商人など、演技や権威づけで相手をだます人物への皮肉な呼び名として使う。
Humbug means dishonest talk, behavior, or an idea meant to trick people, and it can also refer to a person who does this. It is often used to criticize something as fake, foolish, or insincere. The word has a somewhat old-fashioned tone in many modern situations.
覚え方のコツ Memory Tip
人物を指す humbug は、肩書や話術で立派に見せながら人を欺く「ペテン師」を表す、かなり古風で文学的な名詞として覚えるとよい。charlatan や impostor に近いが、単に嘘をつく人ではなく、知識・善意・能力があるように演じて信頼を得る人物への皮肉が強い。humbug には別に「たわごと」という基本義もあるため、ここでは話ではなく人へのレッテルだと切り分ける。
Remember `humbug` as an old-fashioned label for someone who sounds impressive but is fake. It is stronger than just `liar` because it suggests acting like an expert or honest person to win trust. Connect it with a false healer, a fake expert, or a smooth talker in a novel.
例文
The fortune-teller was exposed as a humbug who only cared about money.
その占い師は金のことしか考えないペテン師だと暴かれた。
Everyone realized the self-proclaimed healer was a humbug.
自称ヒーラーがいんちき者だと皆が気づいた。
He dismissed the salesman as a humbug trying to sell fake medicine.
彼はその営業マンを偽の薬を売りつけようとするペテン師だと切り捨てた。
humbug の語源・成り立ち Etymology
humbugは18世紀英語の学生俗語で「ごまかし・でたらめ」を意味した語だが、語源ははっきりしていない。hum「ぶつぶつ言う・だます」やbug「お化け」と結ぶ説があり、響きごと胡散くささを帯びる。関連語はhumbuggeryとhumbugged。
"Humbug" appeared in 18th-century English slang with the sense of trickery or nonsense. Its exact origin is unclear, though some people connect it with "hum" and "bug." The word seems to have carried a suspicious or mocking sound from the start, which helped shape its meaning. Later forms like "humbuggery" and "humbugged" grew from it.
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