Mumbo jumbo (phrase)

Believers in the "heathen" god Mumbo Jumbo are contrasted favorably with World War I-era Christendom in this March 1915 cartoon from *The National Rip-Saw*, a socialist monthly.

Mumbo jumbo, or mumbo-jumbo, is confusing or meaningless language. The phrase is often used to express humorous criticism of middle-management, and specialty jargon, such as legalese, that non-specialists have difficulty in understanding. For example, "I don't understand all that legal mumbo jumbo in the fine print."

It may also refer to practices based on superstition, rituals intended to cause confusion, or languages that the speaker does not understand.