Brewer's: Bubble

(A)

“The whole scheme [the Fenian raid on British America] was a collapsed bubble.”- The Times.

The Bubble Act, 6 George I., cap. 18; published 1719, and repealed July 5th, 1825. Its object was to punish the promoters of bubble schemes.

A bubble company. A company whose object is to enrich themselves at the expense of subscribers to their scheme.

A bubble scheme. A project for getting money from subscribers to a scheme of no value.

Something pretentious, but of no real value, such as “rank and title,” or a bit of ribbon in one's button hole.

Related Content Allusions Foreign Words and Phrases Latin and Greek Word Elements Names: Their Origins and Meanings Old Testament Names Mythology Ancient Greek Literature & Mythology The Bible (King James version) The Koran (translation by J. M. Rodwell) Shakespeare's Plays Tales from Shakespeare (Charles and Mary Lamb) Frequently Misspelled Words Frequently Mispronounced Words Easily Confused Words Writing & Language