Part 9: Why do Masons want to hoodwink people?

Part 9: Difficult Questions About Freemasonry by Roger Firestone

"Why do Masons want to hoodwink people?

This is a misunderstanding arising from the use of archaic language in Masonry when modern meanings are different from what they were a couple of centuries ago. (E.g., "let" used to mean "hinder"--which it still does in tennis, but for most usages, it means the exact opposite: to allow or permit.)

"Hoodwink" comes from two words, "hood" (meaning to cover, when used as a verb) and "wink" (an archaic term for the eye). Thus, "to hoodwink" means to cover the eyes, originally. At the time when this word was adopted by Freemasonry (the early 18th century or before), this was its primary meaning. Since that time, it has come to be synonymous with the phrase "pull the wool over the eyes," which is to say "to deceive."

The word, however, is just as often used as a noun in Masonry as a verb, and when used as a verb is accompanied by the action of using a blindfold (the modern term for a hoodwink), making its meaning clear at the time. The word "hoodwink" has only one meaning in a Masonic context, and that is "blindfold." It is only anti-Masons who hope to deceive others (should I have said "hoodwink others?") who claim, dishonestly, that Masons use the term "hoodwink" with the meaning of "deception.""