Noun: hocus-pocus 'how-kus 'pow-kus
- Dishonest and underhand behaviour
"The auditors uncovered financial hocus-pocus in the company's accounts";
- trickery, slickness, hanky-panky, jiggery-pokery [informal], skulduggery, skullduggery, sculduggery [rare]
- A meaningless chant or expression used in conjuring or incantation
"The magician uttered some hocus-pocus before revealing the trick"
- Meaningless or unnecessarily complicated language or ritual
"The politician's speech was full of hocus-pocus that confused the audience";
- mumbo jumbo [informal]
Derived forms: hocus-pocuses
Type of: charm, deceit, deception, gibber, gibberish, magic spell, magical spell, misrepresentation, spell
Encyclopedia: Hocus-pocus