trick

—tricker, n. —trickingly, adv.

/trik/, n.

1. a crafty or underhanded device, maneuver, stratagem, or the like, intended to deceive or cheat; artifice; ruse; wile.

2. an optical illusion: It must have been some visual trick caused by the flickering candlelight.

3. a roguish or mischievous act; practical joke; prank: She likes to play tricks on her friends.

4. a mean, foolish, or childish action.

5. a clever or ingenious device or expedient; adroit technique: the tricks of the trade.

6. the art or knack of doing something skillfully: You seem to have mastered the trick of making others laugh.

7. a clever or dexterous feat intended to entertain, amuse, etc.: He taught his dog some amazing tricks.

8. a feat of magic or legerdemain: card tricks.

9. a behavioral peculiarity; trait; habit; mannerism.

10. a period of duty or turn; stint; tour of duty: I relieved the pilot after he had completed his trick at the wheel.

11. Cards.

a. the group or set of cards played and won in one round.

b. a point or scoring unit.

c. a card that is a potential winner. Cf. honor trick.

12. Informal. a child or young girl: a pretty little trick.

13. Slang.

a. a prostitute's customer.

b. a sexual act between a prostitute and a customer.

14. Heraldry.

a. a preliminary sketch of a coat of arms.

b. See engraver's trick.

15. do or turn the trick, to achieve the desired effect or result: Another turn of the pliers should do the trick.

16. turn a trick, Slang. (of a prostitute) to engage in a sexual act with a customer.

adj.

17. of, pertaining to, characterized by, or involving tricks: trick shooting.

18. designed or used for tricks: a trick chair.

19. (of a joint) inclined to stiffen or weaken suddenly and unexpectedly: a trick shoulder.

v.t.

20. to deceive by trickery.

21. Heraldry. to indicate the tinctures of (a coat of arms) with engraver's tricks.

22. to cheat or swindle (usually fol. by out of): to trick someone out of an inheritance.

23. to beguile by trickery (usually fol. by into).

v.i.

24. to practice trickery or deception; cheat.

25. to play tricks; trifle (usually fol. by with).

26. Slang. to engage in sexual acts for hire.

27. trick out, Informal. to embellish or adorn with or as if with ornaments or other attention-getting devices.

[1375-1425; late ME trik (n.) < ONF trique deceit, deriv. of trikier to deceive < VL *triccare, for L tricari to play tricks]

Syn. 1. deception. TRICK, ARTIFICE, RUSE, STRATAGEM, WILE are terms for crafty or cunning devices that are intended to deceive. TRICK, the general term, refers usually to an underhanded act designed to cheat someone, but it sometimes refers merely to a pleasurable deceiving of the senses: to win by a trick. Like TRICK, but to a greater degree, ARTIFICE emphasizes the cleverness, ingenuity, or cunning with which the proceeding is devised: an artifice of diabolical ingenuity.

RUSE and STRATAGEM emphasize the purpose for which the trick is designed; RUSE is the more general term of the two, and STRATAGEM sometimes implies a more elaborate procedure or a military application: He gained entrance by a ruse. His stratagem gave them command of the hill. WILE emphasizes the disarming effect of the trick upon those who are deceived: His wiles charmed them into trusting him. 20. See cheat.

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