    a hoax is a deliberately fabricated falsehood made to masquerade as truth. it is distinguishable from errors in observation or judgment, or rumors, urban legends, pseudosciences or april fools' day events that are passed along in good faith by believers or as jokes. ==etymology== the british philologist robert nares (1753â1829) says that the word hoax was coined in the late 18th century as a contraction of the verb hocus, which means "to cheat", "to impose upon" or "to befuddle often with drugged liquor". hocus is a shortening of the magic incantation hocus pocus, whose origin is disputed.see the  article for more detail. ==definition== [[file:candle in the dark by thomas ady.gif|thumb|thomas ady's a candle in the dark ... (1656) contains one of the earliest mentions of hocus pocus, the origin of the word hoax.{{cite book | title = more word histories and mysteries: from aardvark to zombie | author = editors of the american heritage dictionaries | page = 110 |
Deception Hoaxes