definitions

hornswoggle

[ hawrn-swog-uh l ]
/ ˈhɔrnˌswɒg əl /
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SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR hornswoggle ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used with object), horn·swog·gled, horn·swog·gling. Slang.

to swindle, cheat, hoodwink, or hoax.

RELATED WORDS

fool, dupe, snow, trick, deceive, bamboozle, swindle

Nearby words

hornpout, horns and halo effect, horns of a dilemma, on the, hornsby, hornstone, hornswoggle, horntail, hornworm, hornwort, hornwrack, horny

Origin of hornswoggle

1815–25 origin uncertain
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for hornswoggle

  • The fellow I've been having so much fun with—the Nervy Matt that tried to hornswoggle me with my own photograph.

    Cappy Ricks|Peter B. Kyne

British Dictionary definitions for hornswoggle

hornswoggle

/ (ˈhɔːnˌswɒɡəl) /

verb

(tr) slang to cheat or trick; bamboozle

Word Origin for hornswoggle

C19: of unknown origin
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012