hokum

the word 'hokum' emerged in early 20th-century american theater, specifically in the world of vaudeville and touring shows. its exact origin is debated but is most convincingly traced to a blend of 'hocus-pocus', implying trickery or deception, and 'bunkum', meaning nonsense or insincere talk. the term quickly solidified in meaning to describe the cheap, sentimental, or sensational material used by performers to elicit a predictable, often emotional, response from an audience. from its theatrical roots, 'hokum' broadened into general use to denote any contrived, insincere, or clichéd nonsense designed to impress or deceive.

this word is a simplex formation of uncertain origin, likely created in american english theater slang. it does not lend itself to segmentation into productive english morphemes.