Webster's English Dictionary

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trick

Cross references:
  1. dupe                  
 
1. trick \'trik\ n [ME trik, fr. ONF trique, fr. trikier to deceive, cheat] 
   1a: a crafty procedure or practice meant to deceive or defraud  1b: a 
   mischievous act : PRANK  1c: an indiscreet or childish action  1d: a 
   deceptive, dexterous, or ingenious feat designed to puzzle or amuse <(a 
   juggler's ~s} 2a: an habitual peculiarity of behavior or manner {a horse 
   with the ~)R of shying} 2b: a characteristic and identifying feature {a ~ 
   of speech}  2c: an optical illusion {a mere ~ of the light}  3a: a quick or 
   artful way of getting a result : KNACK  3b: a technical device (as of an 
   art or craft) {the ~s of sta ge technique} 4: the cards played in one round 
   of a card game often used as a scoring uni t 5a: a turn of duty at the helm 
   usu. lasting for two hours  5b: SHIFT  5c: a trip taken as part of one's 
   employment  6: an attractive child or pretty young woman {cute little ~} E, 
   WILE, FEINT mean an indirect means to gain an end. TRICK may imply 
   deception, roguishness, illusion, and either an evil or harmless end; RUSE 
   stresses an attempt to mislead by a false impression; STRATAGEM implies a 
   ruse used to entrap, outwit, circumvent, or surprise an opponent or enemy; 
   MANEUVER suggests adroit and skillful avoidance of difficulty; ARTIFICE 
   implies ingenious contrivance or invention; WILE suggests an attempt to 
   entrap or deceive with false allurements; FEINT implies a diversion or 
   distraction of attention away from one's real intent SYN syn TRICK, RUSE, 
   STRATAGEM, MANEUVER, ARTIFIC 
2. trick aj 1: of or relating to or involving tricks or trickery {~ 
   photograph y ~ dice} 2: TRIG  3a: somewhat defective and unreliable {a ~ 
   lock}  3b: inclined to give way unexpectedly {a ~ knee} 
3. trick vt 1: to deceive by cunning or artifice : CHEAT  2: to dress or 
   adorn fancifully or ornately : ORNAMENT {~(Xed out in a gaudy uniform}