hoax
英 [həʊks] 美 [hoʊks]
v.欺骗；哄骗；愚弄 n.愚弄人；恶作剧
GRE
◉Etymology
"hoax” 这个单词源自17世纪的英语，最初出现在欧洲的一些方言中，其词源不太确定，但可能与拉丁语 “hocus”（表示用于迷惑的幻术）有关。“Hoax” 作为名词指的是一种愚弄或欺骗的行为，作为动词则表示进行愚弄或欺骗。
◉外刊例句
① The news of a celebrity’s death turned out to be a hoax, much to the relief of their fans.
一位名人去世的消息被证明是一个骗局，令他们的粉丝松了一口气。
——The New York Times - 2023年4月
② A viral video claiming to show a UFO sighting was later revealed to be a hoax orchestrated by a group of pranksters.
一段声称展示了UFO目击事件的病毒视频后来被证明是一群恶作剧者策划的骗局。
——The Guardian - 2023年7月
③ The company’s announcement of a revolutionary new product was met with skepticism, with many suspecting it to be another marketing hoax.
该公司关于一款革命性新产品的宣布遭到了怀疑，许多人怀疑这只是又一个营销骗局。
——BBC News - 2023年10月
◉Usage Examples
(1) All hoax viruses are essentially chain letters.
(2) Some posters on Chinese bulletin boards and blogs have argued that Mr Zhou was perhaps merely a hapless tool in a hoax perpetrated mainly by bureaucrats.
(3) Mainstream critics argue that the entire affair is a hoax.
(4) Authorities call the apparent hoax reprehensible, but even with just five feet.
(5) I never thought my hoax would go so far and I felt awful when some of you got so excited about knowing the title.
(1) 所有的欺骗性病毒基本都是连续性的字母。
(2) 一些中文的贴子和博客提出，周也许不过是官方欺骗闹剧中的一个不幸的工具而已。
(3) 主流的批评家批评整件事是一场愚弄。
(4) 官方称这是明显的愚弄行为，应该遭受斥责，但是仍然还有五只断脚。
(5) 我从来没有想到我的恶作剧会这么不可收拾，你们为得知新书名而欣喜不已时我真觉得糟糕透了。
◉Usage note
If you put on big fake feet, stomp through your muddy backyard and tell everyone you saw Bigfoot fixing a steak on your grill, you are playing a hoax on your friends.
Hoax is believed to be a shortened version of hocus pocus, thus conveying the feeling of trickery and sleight of hand. April First, also known as April Fools' Day, is a day of hoaxes. Successful hoaxes in history: Orson Welles' War-of-the-Worlds radio broadcast in 1938 and the alien autopsy film footage made public in the 1990s. Do you believe the American moon landing in 1969 was a hoax? You're not alone. Six percent of Americans believe this event was staged.
◉Colins
1. [N-COUNT 可数名词]恶作剧；假警报；骗局A hoax is a trick in which someone tells people a lie, for example that there is a bomb somewhere when there is not, or that a picture is genuine when it is not. [usu with supp]
① A series of bomb hoaxes has disrupted Christmas shopping in the city centre...
一系列炸弹假警报扰乱了市中心的圣诞节购物活动。
②He denied making the hoax call but was convicted after a short trial.
他否认打过恶作剧电话，但经过一番短暂的审讯后被判有罪。
