Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • transitive verb To fool or deceive; hoax.
  • transitive verb To infuse (food or drink) with a drug.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun A cheat; an impostor; also, a conjurer.
  • noun Drugged liquor given to a person to stupefy him.
  • To impose upon; cheat.
  • Hence To stupefy or render insensible by means of drugged drink for the purpose of cheating or robbing.
  • To drug, as drink, for the purpose of stupefying.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun One who cheats or deceives.
  • noun Drugged liquor.
  • transitive verb To deceive or cheat.
  • transitive verb To adulterate; to drug.
  • transitive verb To stupefy with drugged liquor.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • verb To play a trick on; hoax; cheat.
  • verb To stupefy with drugged liquor.
  • verb To adulterate; to drug (liquor).
  • noun One who cheats or deceives.
  • noun drugged liquor

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Short for hocus-pocus.]

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