Hocus-pocus

Alternative forms

• hocuspocus
• hocus pocus

Origin

Dates from the 17th century when used by jugglers and magicians as a nonsense magical incantation.

Compact Oxford English Dictionary. http://www.askoxford.com/concise_oed/hocuspocus http://www.askoxford.com/concise_oed/hocuspocus

Phrase Finder|hocus-pocus|Hocus-pocus

. Some believe it is a corruption of words from the Roman Catholic liturgy of the Eucharist, hoc est enim corpus meum, although this is disputed.

Full definition of hocus-pocus

Interjection

1. A phrase used as a magical incantation to bring about some change.

Noun

1. A specific act of trickery or nonsense.What kind of hocus-pocus is this?