Ye see, Hokum he got thirty-seven cents' worth o' lemons and sperit.
Senator Gonzales was fond of the Society's crackpot receptionist, and he knew exactly what kind of hokum would please her most.
hokum 1917, theater slang, "melodramatic, exaggerated acting," probably formed on model of bunkum (see bunk (2)), and perhaps influenced by hocus-pocus. The derived adj. hokey first recorded 1927.