1811. Poole, Hamlet Travestied, iii., 1. Go seek him there: I fear he’s only humming.
1819. Moore, Tom Crib, p. 4. While you hum the poor spoonies with speeches so pretty.
d. 1840. Mad. D’Arblay, Diary, ii., 153 [ed. 1842]. I don’t mean to cajole you hither with the expectation of amusement or entertainment; you and I know better than to hum or be hummed in that manner.
1856. Elliott, Carolina Sports, p. 122. I hummed him, my stripping was all a feint.
2. (old).—To mumble.
d. 1842. Maginn, Vidocq Versified. To hear Old Cotton humming his pray.
To hum and haw, verb. phr. (colloquial).—To hesitate, to raise objections.
1469. Paston Letters, II., 347 (Ed. Gairdner). He wold have gotyn it aweye by humys and by hays, but I wold not so be answeryd.
1594. Nashe, Unf. Traveller (Grosart, Wks., v., 96). Hee made no more humming or haulting, but in despite of her husbandes kinsfolkes, gaue her her Nunc dimittis.
1610. Jonson, Alchemist, iii., 2. You may be anything, and leave off to make Long-winded exercises; or suck up Your ha! and hum! in a tune.