To deceive someone is to mislead them by false appearance or statement. Hoodwink is a close synonym, defined succinctly as “to deceive or trick.” But to understand the nuances in how hoodwink is used, it is helpful to be familiar with the term’s history. Hoodwink’s earliest sense in English was “to blindfold,” as in to prevent sight by covering the eyes. It is no longer used that way, but we can think of the deceptive sense as blindfolding mentally or making one blind to the truth by way of persuasion or manipulation. Like bamboozle, hoodwink appears in a variety of contexts ranging from lighthearted and playful (Snoopy hoodwinks his owner, Charlie Brown, by wearing a mustache, for instance) to the more serious (a politician who hoodwinks the public).

To celebrate is to observe a day or commemorate an event with ceremonies or festivities. For example, it is customary to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with a parade. This popular verb can also refer, a little more loosely, to having or participating in a party or an uninhibited good time. That’s where today’s synonym revel comes in. To revel is to make merry or to indulge in boisterous festivities. Though, a word to the wise, this carousing sense of revel is not as common as another. Revel is more commonly used these days to talk about taking great pleasure or delight in something: The Joycean scholar reveled in the fact that so many people were taking the day to celebrate Irish culture.

To remember something is to think of it again. This general verb describes the mechanism of recalling something to the mind by an act or effort of memory: I tried to remember the best route to the house. To reminisce is to recall past experiences or events, or to indulge in reminiscence. Whereas remembering can be a chore, reminiscing is more like taking a pleasant stroll down memory lane and stopping every so often along the way soak up the scenery. When we reminisce about the old days, for instance, we recall long-gone experiences fondly, in a sort of dreamy and perhaps even wistful or nostalgic state.