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Posted by Bruce Kahl on July 02, 2003

In Reply to: Hanky-panky posted by ESC on July 02, 2003

: : Does anyone know the origins of the expression Hankypanky?

: Here are some theories:

: HANKY-PANKY - "goes back more than a hundred years and originated in the jargon of fairs and carnivals. It's a variation on the much older 'hocuspocus' - a term used by shysters and magicians while performing tricks. Since there was always something underhanded about such activities, 'hanky-panky' has come to mean double-dealing or devious trickery." From Morris Dictionary of Word and Phrase Origins by William and Mary Morris (HarperCollins, New York, 1977, 1988).

: A second reference says: "A synonym for trickery, 'hanky-panky' may have been coined, with the help of reduplication, from the magician's handkerchief, or 'hanky,' under which so many things have mysteriously appeared and disappeared through clever sleight of hand. Probably related to 'hocus pocus,' it is first recorded in 'Punch' ." From Encyclopedia of Word and Phrase Origins by Robert Hendrickson (Facts on File, New York, 1997).

: And a third: "n. 1841, British slang; possibly a variant of 'hoky-pokey' deception or fraud ; altered from hocus-pocus." From The Barnhart Concise Dictionary of Etymology by Robert K. Barnhart (HarperCollins Publishers, New York, 1995).

And then, continuing, hocus-pocus is possibly from an alteration of the ancient Roman language "hoc est corpus (meum)"---"this is (my) body" (words used in the Eucharist at the time of transubstantiation).

See Hanky-panky - meaning and origin