- Today's Word
Hoodwink
[HOOD-wink]
Definition
- (verb) To deceive or trick someone, often by concealing the truth or misleading them. It implies a clever or cunning form of deception.
Example
The con artist tried to hoodwink elderly residents by posing as a charity worker, but alert neighbors caught on to the scheme and alerted authorities.
Fun Fact
The term “hoodwink” originated in the 16th century and has an interesting etymology. It comes from the practice of covering a person’s eyes with a hood or blindfold to deceive them. The “hood” part is clear, while “wink” in this context comes from an Old English word meaning “to close one’s eyes.” Over time, the meaning expanded from literally blindfolding someone to any form of trickery or deception. This word is a great example of how language evolves, with a literal practice becoming a metaphor for deception in general.
(verb) To criticize someone or something severely and publicly, often with harsh or scathing language.
The columnist excoriated the company’s leadership for ignoring repeated safety warnings.
Excoriate comes from the Latin excoriare, meaning “to strip off the skin,” from ex- (“off”) and corium (“hide” or “skin”). While the word originally described physical abrasion, its meaning shifted metaphorically over time to describe verbal attacks so harsh they feel skin-deep, leaving nothing protected.