hokey-pokey

American  

[hoh-kee-poh-kee] / ˈhoʊ kiˈpoʊ ki /

noun

1. hocus-pocus; trickery.

2. Often Hokey-Pokey a dance performed in a circle, or a song describing the simple movements of the dance.

3. ice cream as formerly sold by street vendors.

4. New Zealand. a toffee-flavored candy or ice cream popular in New Zealand.

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Trademark.

1. Hokey-Pokey. a brand of white chocolate ice cream with honeycomb and caramel.

hokey-pokey British  

/ ˌhəʊkɪˈpəʊkɪ /

noun

1. another word for hocus-pocus hocus-pocus

2. a brittle toffee sold in lumps

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Etymology

Origin of hokey-pokey

First recorded in 1840–50; variant of hocus-pocus

Example Sentences

After a couple rounds of the hokey-pokey in their dance space, I knew I just had the best date ever.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 8, 2021

In the United Kingdom—where its long, strange history begins—the hokey-pokey is known as the hokey-kokey.

From The New Yorker • Dec. 19, 2018

And you better do it fast, because that's not the hokey-pokey.

From Time Magazine Archive

For the answers to these and many other related questions, tune in to Lucy Crown, a bit of fictional hokey-pokey in 21 chapters by Irwin Shaw.

From Time Magazine Archive

“Now I want you to put your left foot forward, then pull it back. Put your right foot forward, pull it back. Don’t go anywhere, just do a little hokey-pokey for me.”

From "The Running Dream" by Wendelin Van Draanen