hokey-pokey

[ hoh-kee-poh-kee ]

noun

1. hocus-pocus; trickery.
2. Often Hokey-Pokey. a dance performed in a circle, or a song describing the simple movements of the dance.
3. ice cream as formerly sold by street vendors.
4. New Zealand. a toffee-flavored candy or ice cream popular in New Zealand.

Trademark.

1. Hokey-Pokey. a brand of white chocolate ice cream with honeycomb and caramel.

hokey-pokey

/ ˌhəʊkɪˈpəʊkɪ /

noun

1. another word for hocus-pocus hocus-pocus
2. a brittle toffee sold in lumps

Word History and Origins

Origin of hokey-pokey¹

First recorded in 1840–50; variant of hocus-pocus

Example Sentences

After a couple rounds of the hokey-pokey in their dance space, I knew I just had the best date ever.

From Los Angeles Times

In the United Kingdom—where its long, strange history begins—the hokey-pokey is known as the hokey-kokey.

From The New Yorker

“Now I want you to put your left foot forward, then pull it back. Put your right foot forward, pull it back. Don’t go anywhere, just do a little hokey-pokey for me.”

From Literature

Whether the lyrical theme is love, rage, jealousy, sorrow, humility, a damaged political system or how to do the hokey-pokey, lyrics arrive bundled with melody and rhythm, and the result is a sublime and potent mnemonic device.

From Los Angeles Times

Unschooled, synapse-challenged, her audience nevertheless could tell the difference; they knew the distinction “between Beethoven and the Hokey-Pokey.”

From Washington Post