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   ho·cus-po·cus

   /ˌhōkəsˈpōkəs/

   noun

   • 1. meaningless talk or activity, often designed to draw attention away from and disguise what is actually happening: "some people still view psychology as a lot of hocus-pocus" Similar jargonunintelligible languageobscure languagemumbo jumboargle-barglegibberishbalderdashclaptrapnonsensetwaddlerubbishinformal:gobbledygookdouble Dutchhokumbullgarbagetriperotflapdoodlebellywashinformal, dated:bunkum
   • ▪ a form of words often used by a person performing magic tricks. Similar magic wordsmagic formulamumbo jumboabracadabraincantationchantinvocationcharm
   • ▪ deception; trickery.

   Word Origin early 17th century: from hax pax max Deus adimax, a pseudo-Latin phrase used as a magic formula by conjurors.

   Scrabble Points: 19

   • H

     4

   • O

     1

   • C

     3

   • U

     1

   • S

     1

   • -

   • P

     3

   • O

     1

   • C

     3

   • U

     1

   • S

     1

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