hoodoo

¹hoo·doo

noun \ˈhü-(ˌ)dü\

plural hoodoos

Definition of HOODOO

1

: a body of practices of sympathetic magic traditional especially among blacks in the southern United States

2

: a natural column of rock in western North America often in fantastic form

3

: something that brings bad luck

4

: nonsense, hokum

— hoo·doo·ism \-ˌi-zəm\ noun

Examples of HOODOO

1. <some economists have characterized the proposal as economic hoodoo that should be hooted down>
2. <some hoodoo must be at work—I lost both sets of house keys>

Origin of HOODOO

perhaps alteration of voodoo

First Known Use: 1875

Related to HOODOO

Synonyms

applesauce [slang], balderdash, baloney (also boloney), beans, bilge, blah (also blah-blah), blarney, blather, blatherskite, blither, bosh, bull [slang], bunk, bunkum (or buncombe), claptrap, codswallop [British], crapola [slang], crock, drivel, drool, fiddle, fiddle-faddle, fiddlesticks, flannel [British], flapdoodle, folderol (also falderal), folly, foolishness, fudge, garbage, guff, hogwash, hokeypokey, hokum, nonsense, hooey, horsefeathers [slang], humbug, humbuggery, jazz, malarkey (also malarky), moonshine, muck, nerts [slang], nuts, piffle, poppycock, punk, rot, rubbish, senselessness, silliness, slush, stupidity, taradiddle (or tarradiddle), tommyrot, tosh, trash, trumpery, twaddle

Related Words

absurdity, asininity, fatuity, foolery, idiocy, imbecility, inaneness, inanity, insanity, kookiness, lunacy; absurdness, craziness, madness, senselessness, witlessness; hoity-toity, monkey business, monkeyshine(s), shenanigan(s), tomfoolery; gas, hot air, rigmarole (also rigamarole); double-talk, greek, hocus-pocus

Near Antonyms

levelheadedness, rationality, reasonability, reasonableness, sensibleness; common sense, horse sense, sense; discernment, judgment (or judgement), wisdom

²hoodoo

transitive verb

Definition of HOODOO

: to cast a spell on; broadly : to bring bad luck to

First Known Use of HOODOO

1886

Rhymes with HOODOO

voodoo