Word of the Day: hoke
Hoke (verb) HOHK
Definition
: to give a contrived, falsely impressive, or hokey quality to — usually used with up
Examples
“It’s okay that everybody looks great, though certain scenes seem hoked up. A black cat crossing the path of a motorcade about to explode feels more like Hollywood moviemaking than truth telling….” — D.J. Palladino, The Santa Barbara Independent, 10 Jan. 2013
“‘Concussion’ has the sober, patient earnestness of a lawyer preparing a major case—it’s a dramatization of true events and occasionally hoked up in the finest Hollywood tradition, but it wants to stir you into being convinced instead of the other way around.” — Ty Burr, The Boston Globe, 25 Dec. 2015
Did You Know?
Hoke is a back-formation of hokum, which was probably created as a blend of hocus-pocus and bunkum. Hokum is a word for the theatrical devices used to evoke a desired audience response. The verb hoke appeared in the early 20th century and originally used (as it still can be today) when actors performed in an exaggerated or overly sentimental way. Today, it’s used adjectivally in the form hoked-up, as in “hoked-up dialogue.” We coined the related word hokey soon after hoke to describe things that are corny or phony.
My Take on Hoke
Well, this is a first. I could not find an appropriate image that represented the definition of the word ‘hoke.’ Oh, sure, I found lots of images connected to the term, but nothing related to its definition.
Many people are named ‘Hoke’ including Playboy model Heather Marie Hoke and a host of other people. (BTW, if you share this post via Twitter, you’ll be treated to a nude photo of her.) I found various buildings named ‘hoke,’ product after product and even many state counties all around the U.S. But nothing specifically related to the meaning of the word.
So, I had to expand my search, using words related to the term. I came up with several stage performances are either contrived or outrageous. So, I included one of Madonna spanking Amy Schumer on stage. If you haven’t seen either of these women in person or attended one of their live performances, I urge you to do so. I’ve them both live and on stage, and I had a great time each time I’ve seen them.
I love learning the different contexts of these words of the day. Don’t you? Please share your comments. I’m sure we would all like to read them.
A sexy bonus picture is available by sharing this post on Twitter. My gift to you for sharing.
Brought to you by Merriam-Webster, Word of the Day.
