hokey-pokey

A child enjoys a scoop of hokey-pokey ice cream on a sunny day.

Definition

1. Noun (uncountable):
   • A type of cheap ice cream: "hokey-pokey" refers to a type of inexpensive ice cream that was traditionally sold by street vendors. It is often associated with a simple, vanilla-based flavor.
   • A children's dance: "hokey-pokey" is also the name of a popular participatory dance, often performed at parties or children's events, where participants follow instructions to put body parts "in" and "out" and then "shake them all about."

Usage Examples

• Cheap ice cream:

  • The vendor sold hokey-pokey from a cart on the street corner. (The vendor sold inexpensive ice cream from a mobile cart.)
  • As a child, I loved the taste of hokey-pokey on a hot summer day. (As a child, I enjoyed the cheap ice cream during warm weather.)

• Children's dance:

  • The children did the hokey-pokey at the birthday party. (The children performed the dance at the celebration.)
  • You put your right foot in, you put your right foot out — that's the hokey-pokey. (These are the dance instructions for the activity.)

Advanced Usage

• "the hokey-pokey" (as a fixed phrase): Refers specifically to the dance, often used in the context of group participation or nostalgia.

  • At the family reunion, everyone joined in the hokey-pokey. (All family members participated in the dance.)

• "hokey-pokey" (as a term for trickery or deceit): Historically, the word "hokey-pokey" is related to "hocus-pocus" and can imply something deceitful or fake, though this usage is rare today.

  • The salesman's promises turned out to be pure hokey-pokey. (The salesman's claims were deceptive or false.)

Variants and Related Words

• Hocus-pocus (n): a term for trickery or meaningless activity, related in sound and origin.

  • The magician's hocus-pocus amazed the audience. (The magician's trickery amazed the crowd.)

• Hokey (adj): informal term meaning overly sentimental or artificial.

  • The movie was a bit hokey, but the children enjoyed it. (The film was sentimental or cheesy, but the children liked it.)

Synonyms

• Ice cream: frozen dessert, treat (for the cheap ice cream meaning).
• Dance: group dance, party game (for the dance meaning).
• Trickery: deception, fraud (for the deceitful meaning).

Related Idioms

• Do the hokey-pokey: To participate in the dance or to engage in a simple, repetitive activity.

  • We all did the hokey-pokey at the wedding reception. (We all joined the dance at the wedding party.)

• Hokey-pokey man: A historical term for a street vendor selling cheap ice cream.

  • The hokey-pokey man rang his bell to attract customers. (The ice cream vendor used a bell to draw buyers.)