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Mumbo jumbo

Mumbo jumbo

Meaning

Nonsense or meaningless speech.

Examples

His speech about magical phenomenology seemed to make sense at the time but now I realise it was just mumbo-jumbo.

Where did it originate?

Britain, 18th century. Deriving from an African source.

Where is it used?

Worldwide.

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About the Author

Gary Martin is a writer and researcher on the origins of phrases and the creator of the Phrase Finder website. Over the past 26 years more than 700 million of his pages have been downloaded by readers. He is one of the most popular and trusted sources of information on phrases and idioms.

Gary Martin

Writer and researcher on the origins of phrases and the creator of the Phrase Finder website. Over the past 26 years more than 700 million of his pages have been downloaded by readers. He is one of the most popular and trusted sources of information on phrases and idioms.
Mumbo jumbo

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