See Also: hocus-pocus(1)(dictionary)
hocus-pocus(2)(dictionary)
hocus-pocus(dictionary)
hocus(1)(dictionary)
hocus(2)(dictionary)

hocus-pocus(1) (iou)



hocus-pocus noun & adjective. E17.
[from pseudo-Latin hax pax max Deus adimax, used as magical formula.]
A. noun.
A conjuror, a juggler; a trickster. E17-M18.
(As interjection used as) a formula of conjuring or magical incantation. E17.
A juggler's trick; conjuring; sleight of hand; trickery, deception. M17.
J. F. Kennedy Englishmen, with their balanced budgets and sound economy, had watched the German financial hocus-pocus with amazement.
b. attrib. or as adjective. Juggling; cheating, tricky. Now rare. M17.