To get the original significance of the term “hoodwink” we must go back to the old, old meaning of wink, to have one’s eyes closed.
Thus, in the sixteenth century, when fashion decreed head coverings of cowls or hoods, often attached to the cloak, one became hoodwinked or blinded when the hood fell or was drawn over the eyes.
Thieves and purse snatchers took advantage of the fashion to hoodwink victims.
But the term and practice were also employed in the game of blind-man’s buff.
Hawks and falcons were also hoodwinked when being carried.
