What (who) is hokum - definition
TYPE OF SONG IN AMERICAN BLUES
Hokum blues
![Sheet music cover for a collection of songs by Christy's Minstrels, 1844. [[George Christy]], the stepson of [[Edwin P. Christy]] appears in the circle at top.](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:FilePath/Christy Minstrels (Boston Public Library).jpg?width=200 "Sheet music cover for a collection of songs by Christy's Minstrels, 1844. [[George Christy]], the stepson of [[Edwin P. Christy]] appears in the circle at top.")
![[[Josephine Baker]], the St. Louis-born French singer featured in the Broadway revue ''[[Shuffle Along]]'', photographed by Carl Van Vechten, 1949}}](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:FilePath/Josephinebaker.jpg?width=200 "[[Josephine Baker]], the St. Louis-born French singer featured in the Broadway revue ''[[Shuffle Along]]'', photographed by Carl Van Vechten, 1949}}")
hokum
['h??k?m]
¦ noun informal
1. nonsense.
2. sentimental or trite material in a film or other work.
Origin
early 20th cent.: of unknown origin.
hokum
If you describe something as hokum, you think it is nonsense. (INFORMAL)
The book is enjoyable hokum.
= nonsense
N-UNCOUNT
Hokum & Hex
Hokum & Hex is a superhero comic book series published by Marvel Comics' Razorline imprint that ran from 1993 to 1994. Created by filmmaker and horror/fantasy novelist Clive Barker as one of the imprint's four interconnected series, it starred Trip Monroe, a failing stand-up comic who, through apparently random circumstances, is given powers in order to become Earth's protector against the fundamentalist warriors of an extradimensional god attempting to convert the planet.
Wikipedia
Hokum
Hokum is a particular song type of American blues music—a humorous song which uses extended analogies or euphemistic terms to make sexual innuendos. This trope goes back to early blues recordings and is used from time to time in modern American blues and blues rock.
An example of hokum lyrics is this sample from "Meat Balls", by Lil Johnson, recorded about 1937:
Pronunciation examples for hokum
1. Zero is it's hokum.
Mindful Work _ David Gelles _ Talks at Google
2. still think it's absolute hokum.
Mindful Work _ David Gelles _ Talks at Google
3. 0 is I think this is all hokum.
Mindful Work _ David Gelles _ Talks at Google
4. Zero means you think this is all hokum
Mindful Work _ David Gelles _ Talks at Google
Examples of use of hokum
1. Vizenor sees Means as the new standard–bearer for this sort of hokum.
2. It‘s such a guilty pleasure that you may feel impelled to rent "Citizen Kane" as penance for enjoying such hokum.
3. This has made it easy for rationalists to dismiss the whole tale as hokum.
4. Not being favourites can only help us." Such assertions might be taken for hokum had Arsenal not being playing so very well since that Bernabéu night.
5. A baby born to a virgin; Wise Men who never existed ... even the Archbishop of Canterbury says that much of the Nativity is hokum.