der Hokuspokus
hocus-pocus
Magic or a magic show, especially involving mysterious or seemingly magical acts.
EXAMPLE
Der Zauberer beeindruckte die Kinder mit allerlei Hokuspokus.
The magician impressed the children with all kinds of hocus-pocus.
der Hokuspokus
hocus-pocus
der Hokuspokus
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Meanings
der Hokuspokus
hocus-pocus
Activities that are obscure, overly complicated, or pointless; the term is usually disparaging.
EXAMPLE
Ich will keinen technischen Hokuspokus, sondern eine einfache Lösung.
I don't want any technical hocus-pocus; I want a simple solution.
Forms
Forms adapted from the German Wiktionary entry Hokuspokus, by Wiktionary contributors, licence CC BY-SA 4.0.
At a glance
| gender | masculine der |
|---|---|
| genitive | des Hokuspokus |
The four cases
| singular | plural | |
|---|---|---|
| nominative | der Hokuspokus | – |
| accusative | den Hokuspokus | – |
| dative | dem Hokuspokus | – |
| genitive | des Hokuspokus | – |
The article changes with the case; it is shown in colour.
Usage tips
Context clue
The words surrounding 'Hokuspokus' (hocus-pocus) help you identify its meaning: words such as 'Zauberer' (magician), 'Vorführung' (performance), or 'magisch' (magical) point to a magic show. In contexts involving technology, bureaucracy, or a solution, it usually refers disparagingly to complicated or pointless activities.
EXAMPLE
Bei der Bühnenshow zeigte der Zauberer viel Hokuspokus.
During the stage show, the magician performed lots of hocus-pocus.
Für die neue Software brauchen wir keinen technischen Hokuspokus.
We don't need any technical hocus-pocus for the new software.
Typical collocations
In the sense of 'Zauberei' (magic), 'Hokuspokus' (hocus-pocus) often appears with words such as 'Zauberer' (magician), 'Vorführung' (performance), 'magisch' (magical), or 'betreiben' (to practice). In this context, it often describes an entertaining show that seems mysterious.
EXAMPLE
Die Kinder beobachteten gespannt den Hokuspokus des Zauberers.
The children watched the magician's hocus-pocus eagerly.
Disparaging usage
In its figurative sense, 'Hokuspokus' (hocus-pocus) is usually informal and disparaging. It often appears in critical questions and commands such as 'Was soll der ganze Hokuspokus?' (What's all this hocus-pocus about?) or 'Mach nicht so einen Hokuspokus!' (Stop all this hocus-pocus!).
EXAMPLE
Was soll der ganze Hokuspokus? Sag mir einfach, was kaputt ist.
What's all this hocus-pocus about? Just tell me what's broken.
In real life
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