Hornswoggle

//ˈhɔːn.swɒɡ.əl// noun, verb, slang

noun, verb, slang ·Moderate ·College level

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    nonsense; humbug slang
Verb
  1. 1
    To deceive or trick. slang, transitive

    "Don't let them hornswoggle you into buying anything you don't need."

  2. 2
    deprive of by deceit wordnet

Synonyms

All synonyms
buncocondeceivedeceivedefrauddiddle

Example

More examples

"The whole thing was just a hornswoggle."

Etymology

Unknown, 1829 US, jocular coinage like contemporary absquatulate. Presumably horns + waggle with humorous faux ablaut or combination with wobble (compare later woggle, 1923), perhaps inspired by lassoed steers trying to escape by moving their head.

Related phrases

lucha libre

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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.