Green’s Dictionary of Slang

cheating, deception, nonsense.

1831		Poor Man’s Guardian 31 Dec. 4/1: A circular has been issued by the sanctimonious inhabitants of Bishops Stortford, which for ignorance, hypocrisy and humbuggery, rivals the cant of the most beclouded fanatics.
1843		Gleaner (Manchester, NH) 2 Dec. n.p.: Let Chase progress in the art of humbuggery.
1852		Era (London) 26 Dec. 5/1: While the piece of humbuggery above disclosed was being peformed, thse young aspirants of fistic fame [etc].
1865		M.L. Byrn Adventures of Fudge Fumble 171: In less than three weeks I had got mad enough with her ‘humbuggery’.
1869		‘Mark Twain’ Innocents Abroad 57: It is in communities like this that Jesuit humbuggery flourishes.
1879		Aberdeen Jrnl 8 Oct. 6/3: The bridge had cost plenty already, and he would spend 19s, far less £19, for such humbuggery.
1883		‘Mark Twain’ Life on the Mississippi (1914) 369: Traces of its inflated language and other windy humbuggeries survive along with it.
1901		Dundee Eve. Post 16 Dec. 2/6: [advert] In these days of humbuggery and deception, the manufacturers of patent medicines [etc.].