Something cheap, artificial, or overly sentimental; can also mean to give someone false or exaggerated information.
Possibly from 'hoax' or related to theatrical jargon ('hoke up' meaning to contrive or fake a theatrical effect). The origin is uncertain but possibly American slang from the early 20th century.
The phrase 'hoke it up' became theater slang for overacting or making something artificially dramatic—which is how some people describe bad movie endings or overly melodramatic TV shows that are trying too hard to make you cry!
Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.