hocus-pocus

ho·cus-po·cus

 (hō′kəs-pō′kəs)

n.

1. Nonsense words or phrases used as a formula by quack conjurers.

2. A trick performed by a magician or juggler; sleight-of-hand.

3. Foolishness or empty pretense used especially to disguise deception or chicanery.

tr.v. ho·cus-po·cused, ho·cus-po·cus·ing, ho·cus-po·cus·es or ho·cus-po·cussed or ho·cus-po·cus·sing or ho·cus-po·cus·ses

To play tricks on; deceive.

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[Possibly from an alteration of Latin hoc est corpus (meum), this is (my) body (words used in the Eucharist at the time of transubstantiation).]

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

hocus-pocus

(ˈhəʊkəsˈpəʊkəs)

n

1. trickery or chicanery

2. mystifying jargon

3. an incantation used by conjurors or magicians when performing tricks

4. conjuring skill or practice. Also called: hokey-pokey

vb, -cuses, -cusing, -cused, -cuses, -cussing or -cussed

to deceive or trick (someone)

[C17: perhaps a dog-Latin formation invented by jugglers]

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

ho•cus-po•cus

(ˈhoʊ kəsˈpoʊ kəs)

n., v. -cused, -cus•ing (esp. Brit.) -cussed, -cus•sing. n.

1. meaningless words used in conjuring.

2. a juggler's trick; sleight of hand.

3. mysterious or elaborate activity or talk, esp. for covering up a deception.

v.t.

4. to play tricks on or with.

[1615–25; pseudo-Latin rhyming formula used by magicians]

Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.

hocus-pocus

Past participle: hocus-pocused/hocus-pocussed
Gerund: hocus-pocusing/hocus-pocussing

Imperative

hocus-pocus

hocus-pocus

Collins English Verb Tables © HarperCollins Publishers 2011

Thesaurus

Noun

1.

hocus-pocus - verbal misrepresentation intended to take advantage of you in some way hanky panky, jiggery-pokery, skulduggery, skullduggery, slickness, trickery deception, misrepresentation, deceit - a misleading falsehood

Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.

hocus-pocus

noun

Esoteric, formulaic, and often incomprehensible speech relating to the occult:

abracadabra, gibberish, mumbo jumbo.

The American Heritage® Roget's Thesaurus. Copyright © 2013, 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Translations

hocus-pocus

[ˈhəʊkəsˈpəʊkəs]

A. N (= trickery) → juego m de manos; (= words) → jerigonza f

B. EXCL → abracadabra

Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

hocus-pocus

[ˌhəʊkəsˈpəʊkəs] n

(= trickery) → supercherie f

(= words) [magician] → formules fpl magiques

(= mumbo-jumbo) → galimatias m

Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

hocus-pocus

n

(inf: = trickery) → faule Tricks pl (inf), → Hokuspokus m

(= formula) → Hokuspokus m

Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

hocus-pocus

[ˈhəʊkəsˈpəʊkəs] n (trickery) → trucco; (words, of magician) → abracadabra m inv; (talk) → ciance fpl

Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995

hocus-pocus

(houkəsˈpoukəs) noun

trickery; words, actions etc which are intended to deceive or mislead (someone). The people were not deceived by the political hocus-pocus of the prospective candidate. hokus-pokus, goëlery شَعْوَذَه، تَدْجيل измама truque švindlování der Hokuspokus hokuspokus; fup απατηλά λόγια juego de manos; abracadabra sulitemp حقه بازی hokkus-pokkus tour de passe-passe, baratin הוֹקוּס-פּוֹקוּס, אֲחִיזַת עֵינַיִים जादू-मन्तर hokus-pokus, obmana, foliranje hókuszpókusz omong kosong, permainan sulap hókus-pókus, töfrabragð, brella imbroglio, raggiro ごまかし 속임수 akių dūmimas triks; vārdu savārstījums silap mata bedrog, trukendoos, hocus-pocus hokuspokus, lureri, triksmachinacje, manipulacje ټګی، اننرمنتر، جنتر truque şarlatanie, înşelătorie фокус-покус; очковтирательство hókus-pókus hokuspokus hokus-pokus hokuspokus หลอกลวงโกง hokkabazlık, göz boyama 把戲，故弄玄虛的言詞 фокус; шахрайство دھوکا trò bịp bợm 欺骗

Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary © 2006-2013 K Dictionaries Ltd.