mummery, flummery
(noun) meaningless ceremonies and flattery
Source: WordNet® 3.1
mummery (countable and uncountable, plural mummeries)
(now, chiefly, historical) Mumming; disguising oneself to perform as a mummer, or to take part in some other festivities or performance. [from 15th c.]
A ridiculous or ostentatious ceremony, formerly especially of a religious nature; extravagant or hypocritical performance. [from 16th c.]
Source: Wiktionary
Mum"mer*y, n.; pl. Mummeries. Etym: [F. momerie, of Dutch or German origin. See Mumm.]
1. Masking; frolic in disguise; buffoonery. The mummery of foreign strollers. Fenton.
2. Farcical show; hypocritical disguise and parade or ceremonies. Bacon.
Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition
3 April 2025
(noun) an assemblage of parts that is regarded as a single entity; “how big is that part compared to the whole?”; “the team is a unit”
The Boston Tea Party helped popularize coffee in America. The hefty tea tax imposed on the colonies in 1773 resulted in America switching from tea to coffee. In the lead up to the Revolutionary War, it became patriotic to sip java instead of tea. The Civil War made the drink more pervasive. Coffee helped energize tired troops, and drinking it became an expression of freedom.
