Word of the Day

: March 2, 2009

hoke

verb HOHK

What It Means

: to give a contrived, falsely impressive, or hokey quality to -- usually used with "up"

hoke in Context

Sappy music and melodramatic acting combine to hoke up the movie's romance sequences.

Did You Know?

"Hoke" is a back-formation of "hokum," which was probably created as a blend of "hocus-pocus" and "bunkum." "Hokum" is a word for the theatrical devices used to evoke a desired audience response. The verb "hoke" appeared in the early 20th century and was originally used (as it still can be today) when actors performed in an exaggerated or overly sentimental way. Today, it is often used adjectivally in the form "hoked-up," as in "hoked-up dialogue." The related word "hokey" was coined soon after "hoke" to describe things that are corny or phony.