Pohickery

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Deceitful trickery or pretentious humbug intended to mislead or impress people
2. Sly, underhand dealing and pretence used to fool others into believing something false
3. Crafty deception or showy nonsense employed to cheat or beguile those who witness it

Etymology: The ending is the familiar suffix "-ery," which English borrowed from Old French "-erie" to name a practice or the behaviour of a type of person, as in "trickery," "knavery," and "roguery." That makes the word's sense easy to read: it names a pattern of pretentious deceit. The first part, "pohick," is the hard piece. Its origin is not securely traced, and the word is recorded in American English, so it did not come into English from Britain. Some have linked it to place names with "Pohick" in them, but no firm connection has been established, so that link should not be taken as settled. What can be said is that the word is a regional American formation built on the common "-ery" pattern, and its meaning comes from that suffix more than from any known root.

Synonyms: fussiness, finickiness, pettiness