Where did the words abracadabra, hocus-pocus, and presto come from? How did they become associated with magic? –Matthew Mitchell, via the Internet
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Hocus-pocus has been around since the early 17th century. The Oxford English Dictionary tells of a certain conjurer called Hocus-Pocus who used the phrase as part of a faux-Latin incantation during his act: “Hocus pocus, tontus talontus, vade celeriter jubeo.” It’s been plausibly suggested that hocus-pocus is a corruption of the genuine Latin words hoc est enim corpus meum, “for this is my body,” spoken during the consecration of the Roman Catholic Mass when the wine and wafer are said to be transformed into the body and blood of Christ. Some experts think hocus-pocus itself was corrupted into the word hoax. One presumes these experts were non-Catholic.
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