For the video game character see Mumbo Jumbo (game).

Mumbo Jumbo, or mumbojumbo is an English phrase or expression that denotes a confusing or meaningless subject. It is often used as humorous expression of criticism of middle-management and civil service non-speak, and of belief in something considered non-existent by the speaker (ghosts, religion etc.).

It was coined during the time when Great Britain was colonizing areas of the globe inhabited by native tribes that practiced mysterious and puzzling rituals which were then called "Mumbo Jumbo" in imitation of the inscrutable language and rituals of local native tribes. Actually, both words are in swahili, official language in Kenya and spoken in other areas in East Africa as a lingua franca. Both words mean simply "hello". (Hello is a loose translation, the actual meaning is "good day"). Mumbo is the plural for jumbo. So when a single guy would approach a bunch of men standing at the corner, he would say mumbo, and the others would answer jumbo. All the British would catch from the conversation is this "mumbo-jumbo". The spelling in swahili is jambo, but the pronunciation is indeed best approximated by the English jumbo.

According to the Concise Oxford Dictionary:

Mumbo Jumbo is a noun and is the name of a grotesque idol said to have been worshipped by some tribes. In its figurative sense, Mumbo Jumbo is an object of senseless veneration or a meaningless ritual.

See also

• Ajam

English phrases