Hocus Pocus
‘Hocus pocus’ is one made-up phrase that has been in our vernacular for so long that it has become part of our everyday speech. It is tied to magic and all things magical. Just the mention of the phrase is synonymous with something appearing, disappearing, or changing at the culmination of a magic trick. The phrase is sometimes referred to as “the magic words.” Children playing magician will often utter the phrase as part of their game.
People may also use the term in jest. For instance, if a person is trying to unlock a door that just won’t work, he may say, “Hocus pocus!” in hopes of magically opening the door. In the United Kingdom, ‘hocus pocus’ is also a synonym for something false, tacky, or nonsensical. The origins of the phrase are uncertain. It may come from the Latin phrase hax pax max Deus adimax, which was a magical spell. Perhaps it might have originated as a play on words “Hoc est enim corpus meum” which are spoken during the Catholic Eucharist. Other sources suggest that the phrase may have Norse or Welsh roots instead.
Whatever the origin of the phrase, ‘hocus pocus’ is a very important part of English vernacular. Several movies, books, and popular games relating to magic bear the words ‘hocus pocus’ in the title, as well as many companies that distribute card tricks and other slight of hand tricks. The phrase usually conjures up images of witches, cauldrons, magic spells, and so on. The magic associated with ‘hocus pocus’ is often black magic, but does not necessarily have to be evil in nature. ‘Hocus pocus’ was once a phrase used in earnest during magic shows to entertain the public, but has now been relegated mostly to child’s play magic tricks. Serious magicians almost always refrain from using the phrase ‘hocus pocus’ when they are about to reveal a serious magic trick.
