mumbo-jum

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• mumbo jumbo — mum•bo jum•bo [[t]ˈmʌm boʊ ˈdʒʌm boʊ[/t]] n. pl. mumbo jum•bos 1) meaningless incantation or ritual 2) senseless or pretentious language, usu. designed to obscure or confuse 3) an object of superstitious awe or reverence • Etymology: 1738; first… …   From formal English to slang

• Mumbo Jumbo — Mum bo Jum bo, n. [Perh. fr. the native name of an African god.] 1. Among the Mandingos of the western Sudan, a bugbear by means of which the women are terrified and disciplined by societies of the men, one of whom assumes a masquerade for the… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

• mumbo jumbo — [mum′bō jum′bō] n. [of Afr orig.: meaning, form, & dialect uncert.] 1. [M J ] among certain West African tribes, an idol or god believed to protect the people from evil and terrorize the women into subjection 2. a) any idol or fetish b) any… …   English World dictionary

• mumbo-jumbo — mum|bo jum|bo [ˌmʌmbəu ˈdʒʌmbəu US bou ˈdʒʌmbou] n [U] informal [Date: 1700 1800; Origin: Mumbo Jumbo name of a supposed African god] technical language that is difficult to understand and seems to have no sense ▪ a bunch of legal mumbo jumbo …   Dictionary of contemporary English

• mumbo jumbo — /mum boh jum boh/, pl. mumbo jumbos. 1. meaningless incantation or ritual. 2. senseless or pretentious language, usually designed to obscure an issue, confuse a listener, or the like. 3. an object of superstitious awe or reverence. 4. (caps.) the …   Universalium

• mumbo jumbo —    (MUM boh JUM boh) [West African, possibly Mandingo] Meaningless ritual; senseless observance; needlessly complicated incantation or language; gibberish; gobbledygook. A fetish, or object of superstitious reverence or fear.    with enough… …   Dictionary of foreign words and phrases

• mumbo-jumbo — mum|bo jum|bo [ ,mʌmbou dʒʌmbou ] noun uncount INFORMAL ideas, beliefs, or customs that you think are nonsense …   Usage of the words and phrases in modern English

• Mum|bo Jum|bo — «MUHM boh JUHM boh», the guardian genius of a native African village in western Sudan, represented by a masked medicine man who fends off evil and keeps the women in subjection: »Mumbo Jumbo, God of the Congo…will hoo doo you (Vachel Lindsay).… …   Useful english dictionary

• mum·bo jum·bo — /ˌmʌmboʊˈʤʌmboʊ/ noun [noncount] informal : confusing or meaningless words or activity : ↑nonsense We were confused by all the legal mumbo jumbo. His explanation was just a lot of mumbo jumbo …   Useful english dictionary

• jumbo — jum|bo [ˈdʒʌmbəu US bou] adj [only before noun] informal [Date: 1800 1900; Origin: Jumbo, name of a very large elephant put on show in London and the U.S. in the 19th century, perhaps from mumbo jumbo] larger than other things of the same type ▪… …   Dictionary of contemporary English