Hocus pocus was one of three pretend spells that Harry Potter used to frighten away his Muggle cousin Dudley Dursley in 1992.

Hocus pocus is also a term that is sometimes used pejoratively by muggles to refer to magic, trying to cast wizards as mere magicians. In 1997, when worried that Harry Potter was planning to "get the house," Vernon Dursley stated "You want us out of the way and then you're going to do a bit of hocus pocus and before we know it the deeds will be in your name and –"

The phrase was featured in the title of the book Pokery & Hocus Pocus, written by Brian Gagwilde, and was also used for the title of a regular column in the Daily Prophet.

Etymology

Hocus pocus, like abracadabra, is a magic word commonly used by magicians, typically when they perform an illusion.^[1] In British English, hocus pocus is also a general term meaning "contrived nonsense," similar to rubbish, hogwash, or baloney.^[1] The origins of the term are unknown, but John Tillotson, the Archbishop of Canterbury from 1691 to 1694, theorised that it might have arisen as a mockery of the Roman Catholic liturgy of the Mass, which features the Latin phrase Hoc est corpus meum ("This is my body").^[1][2]

See also

• Magician

Appearances

• Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (First appearance)
• Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (Mentioned only)

Notes and references