hokey pokey

IPA/ˌhəʊ.ki ˈpəʊ.ki/
IPA/ˌhoʊ.ki ˈpoʊ.ki/

hokey pokey — noun

1. a light, crunchy sweet made by boiling sugar and golden syrup with bicarbonate o

1.nounB2
Definition

a light, crunchy sweet made by boiling sugar and golden syrup with bicarbonate of soda. The mixture foams up and sets into a hard block with many tiny bubbles

Example

Brandon bought a bar of hokey pokey and shared pieces with friends on the way home.

countable: 'a bar of hokey pokey'

The recipe combines boiled sugar, golden syrup, and bicarbonate of soda until the mixture foams.

ingredients include golden syrup and bicarbonate of soda

Common collocations
  • bar of hokey pokey
  • homemade hokey pokey
  • crush hokey pokey
  • piece of hokey pokey
Synonyms
  • honeycomb toffee

    the generic descriptive name for this type of confection; 'hokey pokey' is originally a brand name

  • cinder toffee

    another British term for the same crunchy sugar confection

  • sponge toffee

    the Canadian term for a similar bubbly toffee

Usage Note

Uncountable when referring to the substance itself ('a piece of hokey pokey'), but count use is common for individual wrapped bars ('I ate two hokey pokeys').

Common Mistakes

I bought a hokey pokey as a snack.' (when referring to the substance)
I bought a bar of hokey pokey as a snack.
Use 'bar of' or 'piece of' to refer to a single serving of this uncountable confection.

2. vanilla-flavoured ice cream that has small crunchy pieces of honeycomb toffee mi

2.nounB2
Definition

vanilla-flavoured ice cream that has small crunchy pieces of honeycomb toffee mixed through it

Example

On a hot summer afternoon, Mira ordered a large scoop of hokey pokey at the seaside café.

scoop of hokey pokey — common way to order

After finishing their dinner, the children begged their mother for hokey pokey ice cream with chocolate sauce.

Common collocations
  • scoop of hokey pokey
  • hokey pokey ice cream
  • hokey pokey flavour
  • hokey pokey cone
Synonyms

Usage Note

In Britain and especially New Zealand, 'hokey pokey' on an ice cream menu always refers to this honeycomb-toffee flavour, never the dance. This flavour is considered the national ice cream of New Zealand.

Common Mistakes

I had a hokey pokey dance.' (when meaning the ice cream)
I had a hokey pokey ice cream.
Without 'ice cream', the word 'hokey pokey' alone could mean the confection or the dance, so specify 'ice cream' for clarity.

3. a party dance where participants join hands in a ring and follow a song, moving

3.nounB1
Definition

a party dance where participants join hands in a ring and follow a song, moving body parts one after another — for instance, putting a foot in, pulling it out, then shaking it

Example

At the wedding reception, everyone joined in the hokey pokey and started shaking their legs.

social dance performed at parties and weddings

At summer camp, Feng taught the children the hokey pokey, and everyone laughed while shaking their legs.

Common collocations
  • do the hokey pokey
  • join in the hokey pokey
  • hokey pokey song
  • hokey pokey dance
  • hokey pokey circle
Synonyms
  • Hokey Cokey

    the name used in British English for the same dance song

  • Hokey Pokey song

    refers specifically to the accompanying music rather than the dance movements

Grammar Patterns

do + the + hokey pokey

join in + the + hokey pokey

Usage Note

In British English this dance is more often called the 'Hokey Cokey'; in American and New Zealand English it is known as the 'Hokey Pokey'. The song follows the pattern 'put your [body part] in, take your [body part] out, and shake it all about'.

Common Mistakes

She danced the hokey pokey by herself in the corner.
She joined the circle and did the hokey pokey with the group.
The hokey pokey is a group dance done in a circle, not a solo dance.

Word family

  • Hokey Cokey
    nounB1
  • hokey-pokey
    nounB1

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/3

The hokey pokey (or hokey cokey in British English) belongs to a family of participatory dances performed at parties and social gatherings. Unlike the conga, which involves a single-file line of dancers weaving around a room, the hokey pokey keeps everyone in a fixed circle, following sung instructions. The limbo challenges dancers to bend backward under a horizontal pole, emphasising flexibility rather than following verbal commands. The Macarena, while similarly instruction-based, is done individually with arm-and-hip movements rather than in a group circle. The bunny hop involves hopping in a line with hands on the waist of the person in front. What makes the hokey pokey unique is its 'in and out' limb-shaking format and its accessibility for all ages—even toddlers can follow the simple commands like 'put your right foot in'.

Hokey CokeyCongaLimbo ↗MacarenaBunny Hop

Common collocations

Nouns

  • hokey pokey bar
  • hokey pokey ice cream
  • hokey pokey song
  • hokey pokey dance
  • hokey pokey circle

Phrases

  • do the hokey pokey
  • piece of hokey pokey
  • join in the hokey pokey

Etymology

Italian (possibly)EnglishNew Zealand EnglishEnglish

The origin of 'hokey pokey' is uncertain. The term first appeared in 19th-century England and America for cheap ice cream sold by street vendors, possibly from the Italian phrase 'ecco un poco' ('here is a little'), which Italian ice cream sellers would call out to attract customers. The honeycomb-toffee confection was created in New Zealand in the 1920s and took its name from the ice cream. The dance song originated in England during the 1940s and may have been influenced by the phrase 'hocus pocus', a magician's expression suggesting playful trickery.