ho ‧ cus-po ‧ cus /ˌhəʊkəs ˈpəʊkəs $ ˌhoʊkəs ˈpoʊ-/ BrE AmE noun [uncountable]
[ Date: 1600-1700 ; Origin: hax pax max Deus adimax , a pretended Latin phrase used by people doing magic tricks ]
a method or belief that you think is based on false ideas:
He thinks psychology is a load of hocus-pocus.