It's the Word of the Day podcast for February 3rd.

Today's word is Hornswogel, spelled as one word, H-O-R-N-S-W-G-G-L-E.

Hornswogel is a verb. To H hornswoggle someone is to trick or deceive them.

Here's the word used in a sentence from the New York Post.

Netflix users have been warned to look out for an insidious AI-powered email scam that looks

nearly indistinguishable from the real deal. If you have been already

hornswoggled by such a scheme, Netflix advises changing your password and reaching out to your bank.

Hornswoggle is a slang word of some considerable mystery, at least where its etymology is concerned.

The word appears to have originated in the southern United States in the early 19th century.

The earliest known written record comes from an 1829 issue of the Virginia Literary Magazine

in its glossary of Americanisms.

The magazine states that Hornswoggle comes from Kentucky, and that its oddness

matches nicely with other 19th century Americanisms, such as sock, dologer, absquatchelate,

calothump, slumgullion, and skedaddle. While the exact point at which Hornswoggle entered our

language, and the way in which it was formed may remain unknown,

it is a charming addition to our language, joining bamboozle and honeyfuggle as colorful ways to say to deceive.

With your word of the day, I'm Peter Sokolowski.

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