The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:

Hocus-pocus \Ho"cus-po"cus\, v. t.
   To cheat. [Colloq.] --L'Estrange.
   [1913 Webster]

The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:

Hocus-pocus \Ho"cus-po"cus\, n. [Prob. invented by jugglers in
   imitation of Latin. Cf. Hoax, Hocus.]
   1. A term used by magicians or conjurers in pretended
      incantations.
      [1913 Webster]

   2. A juggler or trickster. [Archaic] --Sir T. Herbert.
      [1913 Webster]

   3. A magician's trick; a cheat; nonsense. --Hudibras.
      [1913 Webster]

   4. Obfuscating talk or elaborate but meaningless activity
      intended to hide a deception or to obscure what is
      actually happening; verbal misrepresentation intended to
      take advantage of you in some way.

   Syn: trickery, slickness, hanky panky, jiggery-pokery,
        skulduggery, skullduggery.
        [WordNet 1.5 +PJC]

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006):

hocus-pocus
    n 1: verbal misrepresentation intended to take advantage of you
         in some way [syn: trickery, hocus-pocus, slickness,
         hanky panky, jiggery-pokery, skulduggery,
         skullduggery]

Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0:

28 Moby Thesaurus words for "hocus-pocus":
   abracadabra, artifice, cheat, chicanery, con game, conjuring,
   deceit, deception, duplicity, flimflam, gibberish, hanky-panky,
   hoax, humbug, incantation, jiggery-pokery, jugglery, legerdemain,
   magic, mischief, mumbo-jumbo, nonsense, prestidigitation,
   rigmarole, sleight of hand, swindle, trick, trickery