Posted by John Lambert on September 23, 2002 at -1:35:03 from 24.84.34.133 user John.
In Reply to: Re: Penny Whistle etc posted by Robert Dilley on September 22, 2002 at 22:37:31:
"Hocus pocus" refer to the words of consecration in the traditional
Catholic Mass. The orginal Latin is "Hoc est enim Corpus meum." These
words were corrupted by the Protestant opponents of Catholicsm into a
phrase denoting a magic spell, which reflected their lack of belief.
From "Hocus pocus" to "Hokey pokey" is a small step. The North
American word "hokey" now means cheap, substandard or contemptible.
John Lambert