Copyright © Philip M. Parker, INSEAD. Terms of Use.
Definition: Mumbo Jumbo |
Mumbo JumboNoun1. Language that is unnecessarily difficult to understand. 2. A state of confusion; ritual accompanied by complicated and purposeless activity that obscures and confuses; "he engaged in the hugger-mugger of international finance". Source: WordNet 1.7.1 Copyright © 2001 by Princeton University. All rights reserved. |
| Domain | Definition |
Literature | Mumbo Jumbo A bogie or bugbear in the Mandingo towns of Africa. As the Kaffirs have many wives, it not unfrequently happens that the house becomes quite unbearable. In such a case, either the husband or an agent dresses himself in disguise, and at dusk approaches the unruly house with a following, and makes the most hideous noises possible. When the women have been sufficiently scared, "Mumbo" seizes the chief offender, ties her to a tree, and scourges her with Mumbo's rod, amidst the derision of all present. Mumbo is not an idol, any more than the American Lynch, but one disguised to punish unruly wives. (See Mungo Park: Travels in the Interior of Africa.). Source: Brewer's Dictionary. |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |
Synonym: Mumbo JumboSynonym: hugger-mugger (n). (additional references) |
| Context | Synonyms within Context (source: adapted from Roget's Thesaurus). |
Jupiter | Allah, Bathala, Brahm, Brahma, Brahma, cloud-compeller, Devi, Durga, Kali, oread, the Great Spirit, Ushas; water nymph, wood nymph; Yama, Varuna, Zeus; Vishnu, Siva, Shiva, Krishna, Juggernath, Buddha; Isis, Osiris, Ra; Belus, Bel, Baal, Asteroth; Thor, Odin; Mumbo Jumbo; good genius, tutelary genius; demiurge, familiar; sibyl; fairy, fay; sylph, sylphid; Ariel, peri, nymph, nereid, dryad, seamaid, banshee, benshie, Ormuzd; Oberon, Mab, hamadryad, naiad, mermaid, kelpie, Ondine, nixie, sprite; denizens of the air; pixy; (bad spirit). |
Spell | Noun: spell, charm, incantation, exorcism, weird, cabala, exsufflation, cantrap, runes, abracadabra, open sesame, countercharm, Ephesian letters, bell book and candle, Mumbo Jumbo, evil eye, fee-faw-fum. |
| Source: adapted from Roget's Thesaurus. | |
| Domain | Usage | |
Movie/TV Titles | Mumbo Jumbo (1969) | |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | ||
| Domain | Title |
Books | |
Theater & Movies | |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |
| The following statistics estimate the number of searches per day across the major English-language search engines as identified by various trade publications. Hyperlinks lead to commercial use of the expression at Amazon.com. |
| Expression | Frequency per Day |
mumbo jumbo | 37 |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |
| Language | Translations for "mumbo jumbo"; alternative meanings/domain in parentheses. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Czech | hatmatilka (gibberish, gobbledygook, lingo). (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
German | wodugott, kauderwelsch (cant, double dutch, gibberish, hotchpotch, jargon, jargons, lingo, mishmash), hokuspokus (conjuring trick, hey presto, hocus pocus, jiggery pokery, malarkey, palaver). (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Greek | κορακίστικα (lingo, patter). (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Hungarian | bálvány (fetish, God, graven image, idol, joss, mumbo-jumbo). (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Pig Latin | umbomay umbojay idol (God, graven image, idol, image), fetiş (charm, fetish). (various references) rappakalja (rubbish), magisk (magic, magical), fetisch (fetish, juju). (various references) การใช้คาถาที่ไร้สาระ. (various references) anlamsız dil, anlaşılmaz ayin. (various references) thần chú vô nghĩa. (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Language | Period | Translations |
| Latin | 500 BCE-Modern | Dosidicus gigas, Gadus aeglefinus, Melanogrammus aeglefinus. (various references) |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references. | ||
Scrabble® Enable2K-Verified Anagrams | |
| Words within the letters "b-b-j-m-m-m-o-o-u-u" | |
-4 letters: boubou. | |
-5 letters: jumbo. | |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. SCRABBLE® is a registered trademark. All intellectual property rights in and to the game are owned in the U.S.A and Canada by Hasbro Inc., and throughout the rest of the world by J.W. Spear & Sons Limited of Maidenhead, Berkshire, England, a subsidiary of Mattel Inc. Mattel and Spear are not affiliated with Hasbro. | |
Hexadecimal (or equivalents, 770AD-1900s) (references)4D 75 6D 62 6F 4A 75 6D 62 6F |
| Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519; backwards) (references)
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Binary Code (1918-1938, probably earlier) (references)01001101 01110101 01101101 01100010 01101111 00100000 01001010 01110101 01101101 01100010 01101111 |
HTML Code (1990) (references)M u m b o   J u m b o |
ISO 10646 (1991-1993) (references)004D 0075 006D 0062 006F 004A 0075 006D 0062 006F |
Encryption (beginner's substitution cypher): (references)478779688124487796881 |
| 1. Definition 2. Synonyms 3. Usage: Modern 4. Usage: Commercial | 5. Expressions: Internet 6. Translations: Modern 7. Translations: Ancient 8. Anagrams | 9. Orthography 10. Bibliography |
Copyright © Philip M. Parker, INSEAD. Terms of Use.
