Humbug

Imagine you have a friend who likes to play tricks on you. Sometimes they tell you something that isn't true, just to see if you believe them. That's what a "humbug" is.

For example, let's say your friend tells you that there are unicorns that live in the forest nearby. If you believe them, you might go running into the forest looking for unicorns. But if you find out later that unicorns aren't real, you might feel silly for believing your friend's humbug.

So, a humbug is when someone tells you something that isn't really true, just to see if you'll believe them. It's like a little prank or joke.