To hoodwink, or put something over on someone, derives from the act of thieves literally throwing a hood on victims before robbing them, thereby making them wink, which has an archaic meaning of “to close one’s eyes.” This is part of a complete episode.
Transcript of “Hoodwink Etymology”
We got an email from Paul Haskin who wanted to know, what’s the origin of hoodwink?
Hoodwink.
Hoodwink, you know, to put something over on somebody, to deceive them.
Yeah. Well, it goes back to the idea of literally putting something over on somebody, a hood,
because that’s the way thieves would work sometimes in the markets.
Throw a cloak or something over somebody’s head, and then they rob them.
And the wink in there has to do with closing your eyes.
You know how we think of wink as being just a brief thing?
But wink used to mean just closing your eyes, period.
And back in the 1500s, John Lilly wrote,
though I wink, I sleep not.
So it’s like, though I have my eyes closed.
So if you hoodwink somebody, you’re literally putting something over on them.
So that they can’t see.
Yeah.
Very good.
Yeah, tricky.
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