bumble

views updated Jun 08 2018

bum·ble / ˈbəmbəl/ • v. 1. [intr.] move or act in an awkward or confused manner: they bumbled around the house [as adj.] (bumbling) his bumbling interventions. 2. [intr.] speak in a confused or indistinct way: the succeeding speakers bumbled. ∎  (of an insect) buzz or hum: she watched a bee bumble among the flowers.DERIVATIVES: bum·bler / -b(ə)lər/ n.

The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English

Bumble

views updated May 21 2018

Bumble the beadle in Dickens's Oliver Twist, a type of official pomposity and fussy stupidity.

The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable ELIZABETH KNOWLES

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