hocus
Americanverb (used with object)
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to play a trick on; hoax; cheat.
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to stupefy with drugged liquor.
-
to drug (liquor).
verb
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to take in; trick
-
to stupefy, esp with a drug
-
to add a drug to (a drink)
Etymology
Origin of hocus
First recorded in 1665–75; short for hocus-pocus
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
“What he did for those 20 hours is hocus pocus,” Richards said in urging jurors to reject consideration of the image.
From Seattle Times ● Nov. 15, 2021
Imam Hasan, who is based at the Al-Emaan Centre in Bromley, Kent, said ruqya is misunderstood and rejected myths of "spells, magic wands or hocus pocus" being involved.
From BBC ● Sep. 20, 2021
I don’t speak in delphic tongues or offer holy absolution or perform shamanic hocus pocus; I really don’t do much of anything but sit there, listen and try to tell the truth.
From The Guardian ● Oct. 12, 2018
“We’ve always been interested in how music impacts the mentally ill, but some scientists shun the idea of researching this because it’s been viewed as hocus pocus,” he said.
From Washington Times ● Oct. 6, 2018
Secrecy, mystery, all manner of childish hocus pocus, were used to establish these primitive ideas; and the weight of that black past is upon its yet.
From The Forerunner, Volume 1 (1909-1910) by Charlotte Perkins Gilman
It must have been working as sweet and steady as ever, all the time it was Inverted, except that, being inside out, it had hocused the direction finders.
From The Big Time by Fritz Leiber
He is Moore hocused for the American market.
From The Knickerbocker, or New-York Monthly Magazine, February 1844 Volume 23, Number 2 by Various
Realizing this almost gave my mind stage fright, but I was too fagged to be hocused by self-consciousness.
From The Big Time by Fritz Leiber
You have hocussed an innocent widow; and I find you here in my apartment, for whose use I pay you in stamped money, searching my wardrobe, and your hand—shame, sir!—your hand in my very pocket.
From The Works of Robert Louis Stevenson - Swanston Edition Vol. 5 (of 25) by Robert Louis Stevenson
“Here, you’d better do the throwing, or you’ll be swearing I’ve hocussed the coin,” said Dawes, with a dry smile.
From The Luck of Gerard Ridgeley by Bertram Mitford
Ill-lodged, ill-fed, ill-used, hocussed, entrapped, anticipated, cleaned out.
From The Uncommercial Traveller by Charles Dickens
"I feel as queer as if I had been hocussed."
From Colonel Thorndyke's Secret by G. A. (George Alfred) Henty
But if he allows hisself to be hocussed in that way, I don't know but what I shall be ashamed.
From Orley Farm by Anthony Trollope
The fortune-tellers have been consulted about them; dreamers have dreamed the winners; and many an underhand attempt, sometimes including the hocussing of men or horses, has been made to corrupt the sport.
From Life in the Roman World of Nero and St. Paul by T. G. (Thomas George) Tucker
Then he became absorbed in steering, and sternly rejected all further consideration of his gift; he would have neither hand nor part in hocussing French agriculturalists posing as mariners.
From The Admirable Tinker Child of the World by Edgar Jepson
"The operation—combining equal parts of hocussing, overcharging, and direct robbery—and facetiously christened by bush landlords `lambing down.'"
From Austral English A dictionary of Australasian words, phrases and usages with those aboriginal-Australian and Maori words which have become incorporated in the language, and the commoner scientific words that have had their origin in Australasia by Edward Ellis Morris
There is no chance of hocussing a horse, or laming him, or bribing a stable boy, or squaring a jockey.
From Hard Pressed by Fred M. (Fred Merrick) White
The Doctor espoused the moral hocussing system, and Feargus took up the bludgeon for physical force.
From Punch, or the London Charivari, Volume 1, November 13, 1841 by Various
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