Phrase guide
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.
noun
The required manual dexterity used to perform magic tricks and illusions.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, uncountable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
A performance of such a skill.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, uncountable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Synonyms: legerdemain, prestidigitation, conjuration, conjuring, dweomercraft, hocus-pocus, illusionism, jugglery, magic, prestigiation, sleight of hand
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Any form of clever or skillful trickery or deception.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: broadly, countable, figuratively, uncountable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Synonyms: jugglery, subterfuge, deception, imposition, hype, deceit, dupery, fiddle, fetch, hocus-pocus, legerdemain, list, mislead, prestidigitation, Punic faith, rinky-dink, ruse, sleight of hand, swack, trickery
Antonyms: none provided
noun
manual dexterity in the execution of tricks
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Synonyms: prestidigitation
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: magic trick, conjuring trick, trick, magic, legerdemain, conjuration, thaumaturgy, illusion, deception
History
From Middle English slegthe of hande, sleght of hond, equivalent to sleight + of + hand. Compare Old French léger de main (cf. the contemporary French léger de main and the contemporary English legerdemain).
Across languages
53 source translations are retained for this English entry.
