Hoodwink

Word of the Day for Friday 7^th March 2014

Hoodwink \HOOD-wingk\, verb:

1. to deceive or trick.
2. Archaic. to blindfold.
3. Obsolete. to cover or hide.

Be patient, for the prize I'll bring thee to / Shall hoodwink this mischance. Therefore speak softly. / All's hushed as midnight yet.
-- William Shakespeare, The Tempest, 1611

But it is difficult not to feel a shade of contempt for a woman whom you can hoodwink with impunity, and in consequence she is thrown over as soon as a better one appears on the scene.
-- Stendhal, On Love, 1822

This portmanteau of hood and wink came to English in the mid-1500’s.

Thanks to: www.dictionary.com