Hocus-pocus

4 definitions found

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Hocus-pocus \Ho"cus-po"cus\, n. [Prob. invented by jugglers in
     imitation of Latin. Cf. {Hoax}, {Hocus}.]
     1. A term used by magicians or conjurers in pretended
        incantations.
        [1913 Webster]
  


     2. A juggler or trickster. [Archaic] --Sir T. Herbert.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     3. A magician's trick; a cheat; nonsense. --Hudibras.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     4. Obfuscating talk or elaborate but meaningless activity
        intended to hide a deception or to obscure what is
        actually happening; verbal misrepresentation intended to
        take advantage of you in some way.
  
     Syn: trickery, slickness, hanky panky, jiggery-pokery,
          skulduggery, skullduggery.
          [WordNet 1.5 +PJC]

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Hocus-pocus \Ho"cus-po"cus\, v. t.
     To cheat. [Colloq.] --L'Estrange.
     [1913 Webster]

From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:

  hocus-pocus
       n : verbal misrepresentation intended to take advantage of you
           in some way [syn: {trickery}, {slickness}, {hanky panky},
            {jiggery-pokery}, {skulduggery}, {skullduggery}]
       [also: {hocus-pocussing}, {hocus-pocussed}]

From Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0 [moby-thes]:

  28 Moby Thesaurus words for "hocus-pocus":
     abracadabra, artifice, cheat, chicanery, con game, conjuring,
     deceit, deception, duplicity, flimflam, gibberish, hanky-panky,
     hoax, humbug, incantation, jiggery-pokery, jugglery, legerdemain,
     magic, mischief, mumbo-jumbo, nonsense, prestidigitation,
     rigmarole, sleight of hand, swindle, trick, trickery