hocus-pocus
UK[ˌhəʊ.kəsˈpəʊ.kəs]US[ˌhoʊ.kəsˈpoʊ.kəs]
n
meaningless talk or activity used to trick or confuse people, especially in order to make something seem complicated or magical
n
a phrase said by magicians when performing a trick, or used to refer to magic tricks in general
Etymology
the term 'hocus-pocus' emerged in the early 17th century as a mock-latin phrase used by jugglers and conjurors. it is widely believed to be a corruption of the latin words 'hoc est corpus meum' ('this is my body'), the formula spoken during the consecration of the eucharist in the catholic mass. by playfully distorting these sacred words into a nonsense chant, performers created a stereotypical magical formula that sounded impressively arcane but was devoid of real meaning. over time, the term evolved from a specific conjurer's phrase to a general noun denoting trickery, deception, or any elaborate but meaningless procedure designed to obscure the truth.
Analysis
this is a simplex word. it is a pseudo-latin magical incantation, likely originating as a deliberate corruption of the latin words from the christian eucharist rite. its functional role is that of a reduplicative compound, a common pattern for forming nonsense words in english.
Examples
the financial report was full of statistical hocus-pocus designed to hide the company's losses.
the magician waved his wand, muttered "hocus-pocus," and pulled a rabbit from his hat.
don't be fooled by all that technical hocus-pocus; the basic idea is really quite simple.