Make Your Point > Archived Issues > HOODWINK

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explore the archives: When you hoodwink people, you trick them by blinding them to the truth. Similarly, when you ob___cate the truth, you make it dark, fuzzy, or unclear--so you can trick people. make your point with... "HOODWINK" Though "wink" today usually means to close one eye at someone, it also simply means to close both eyes. And if you take someone's hood and cover up his eyes with it, he can't see; it's like you've closed his eyes. You've literally hoodwinked him. To figuratively hoodwink people is to put a mental blindfold on them. In other words, to hoodwink people is to trick them by preventing them from seeing the truth. Pronunciation: HOOD weenk (rhymes with "SHOULD think") Part of speech: Transitive verb. (Like "eat," "try," and "want," all transitive verbs do something to an object. You eat a banana, try a game, and want a new phone. Likewise, you hoodwink someone.) Other forms: hoodwinked, hoodwinking How to use it: Talk about hoodwinking someone, trying to hoodwink someone, failing to hoodwink someone, a public that's easily hoodwinked, an intelligent group that cannot be hoodwinked, etc. You might hoodwink someone with something ("she hoodwinked me with her dazzling smile") or hoodwink someone by doing something ("she hoodwinked me by distracting me with her dazzling smile"). Sometimes you get hoodwinked into something ("hoodwinked into a false sense of security," "hoodwinked into a usurious loan for the car") or you get hoodwinked into doing something ("hoodwinked into buying it now before it's too late," "hoodwinked into thinking we're safe"). Some situations leave you feeling hoodwinked even if you can't explain why. It's usually people (or groups of people) who get hoodwinked, but you could hoodwink your own conscience, or hoodwink your computer or phone so it does what you want it to. And it's usually people who do the hoodwinking, but you might say that you've been hoodwinked by an advertisement, by your own fallible senses, by society at large, etc. examples: When the committee's website posted my research proposal as "approved" in green text, I rejoiced. And when I found out that this "approved" meant the committee had merely received the proposal, I felt hoodwinked. People in a hurry will tell me to sign something without reading it first. No! How do I know you're not hoodwinking me into giving you my firstborn? study it now: Look away from the screen to explain the definition in your own words. You’ll know you understand what "hoodwink" means when you can explain it without saying "pull the wool over someone's eyes" or "trick by concealing." try it out: Think of a deceptive image, advertisement, business, or politician. Fill in the blanks: "_____ tries to hoodwink you into thinking that _____." Example: "The site tries to hoodwink you into thinking that support is accessible 24/7." before you review: Spend at least 20 seconds occupying your mind with the game below. Then try the review questions. Don’t go straight to the review now—let your working memory empty out first. This month, we’re playing with anagrams: rearrangements of the letters in a word to form new words. (For example, “care” has two anagrams: “acre” and “race.”) Looking for these makes you a stronger player in other word games. But more importantly, it helps you practice thinking flexibly and methodically. Plus you get to giggle at potential non-words and discover new real words. We’ll work our way from shorter to longer anagrams. And at any point if you wonder why I left out a word you wanted to list, or why I included a word you think isn’t a real one, hold your fire: our authority for this game is ScrabbleWordFinder.org, which draws from a highly inclusive dictionary. Let’s play! From yesterday: What are the 2 anagrams for MISTING? Answer: SMITING and TIMINGS. Try this one today: What are the 3 anagrams for TREASON? review today's word: 1. The opposite of HOODWINK is A. DISPUTE B. DISTANCE C. DISILLUSION 2. _____ makes it difficult for online companies to hoodwink consumers. A. Our growing culture of user reviews B. The availability of brick-and-mortar stores C. The ease with which lists of e-mail addresses can be "rented" Answers are below. a final word: To be a sponsor and send your own message to readers of this list, please contact Liesl at Liesl@HiloTutor.com. Disclaimer: Word meanings presented here are expressed in plain language and are limited to common, useful applications only. Readers interested in authoritative and multiple definitions of words are encouraged to check a dictionary. Likewise, word meanings, usage, and pronunciations are limited to American English; these elements may vary across world Englishes. Answers to review questions: 1. C 2. A