A person who offers false generosity or makes empty promises; someone who appears to give but provides nothing of substance.
From the Arabian Nights story of the Barmecide family. The word entered English in the 1800s as a noun describing someone who practices barmecidal deception.
The Barmecides were actually a real powerful Persian family, but the Arabian Nights gave them a bad reputation in English literature—their name became synonymous with trickery and illusion worldwide!
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