hornswoggle

[hawrn-swog-uh l]

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

to swindle, cheat, hoodwink, or hoax.

Origin of hornswoggle

1815–25 origin uncertain

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for hornswoggle

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

Examples from the Web for hornswoggle

Historical Examples of 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

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

Word Origin and History for hornswoggle

"to cheat," 1829, probably a fanciful formation. Related: Hornswoggled; hornswoggling.