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mum·bo jum·bo or mum·bo-jum·bo  (mŭmbō-jŭmbō)
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Tweet n. pl. mum·bo jum·bos or mum·bo-jum·bos 1. Unintelligible or incomprehensible language; gibberish. 2. Language or ritualistic activity intended to confuse. 3. A complicated or obscure ritual. 4. An object believed to have supernatural powers; a fetish. [From Mumbo-Jumbo, masked dancer described in 18th-century European accounts of the Mandinka, probably from Mandinka maamajomboo, masked dancer with prophetic powers : maama, term of address for a masked dancer + jomboo, ceremony of opening or first use.] |
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