hocus-pocus

[kjc0123]

I know that hocus-pocus means an activity or a belief that you think has no value and is intended to trick people. But I don't know why hocus-pocus becomes to have such a meaning. So, please tell me the origin of hocus-pocus

[andy hughes]

It probably has the same root as 'aberacadabera' it's just meaningless mumbo-jumbo that ancient magicians used to chant while weaving 'spells' because it sounds good, and for no other rason.

[Quizmonster]

Many people believed 'hocus-pocus' to be a corruption of the phrase in the Catholic mass: "Hic est...corpus" - "This is my body..." However, that has been more or less dismissed now. Click http://www.worldwidewords.org/weirdwords/ww-hoc1.htm for a web-page with more information.

[gibbo_ap]

and a good song by focus