sleight of hand

sleight of hand
   not slight. Sleight, meaning dexterity or de-ceptiveness, comes from the Old Norse sloedgh, and slight, meaning slender or frail, comes from the Old Norse slettr, but they have nothing else in common except their pronunciations.

Dictionary of troublesome word. . 2013.

Игры ⚽ Поможем написать реферат
Synonyms:

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Sleight of hand — Sleight of hand, also known as prestidigitation ( quick fingers ) or léger de main (from the French for lightness of hand ), is the set of techniques used by a magician (or card sharp) to manipulate objects such as cards and coins secretly.cite… …   Wikipedia

  • Sleight of hand — Sleight Sleight, n. [OE. sleighte, sleihte, sleithe, Icel. sl?g? (for sl?g?) slyness, cunning, fr. sl?gr (for sl?gr) sly, cunning. See {Sly}.] 1. Cunning; craft; artful practice. [Obs.] His sleight and his covin. Chaucer. [1913 Webster] 2. An… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • sleight of hand — [ ,slaıt əv hænd ] noun singular or uncount clever and quick use of your hands, especially when performing a magic trick a. clever and slightly dishonest behavior used for achieving something: political sleight of hand …   Usage of the words and phrases in modern English

  • sleight of hand — is the ability to use your hands in a clever way, like a magician performing tricks you can t see …   The small dictionary of idiomes

  • sleight of hand — [ˌslaıt əv ˈhænd] n [U] [Date: 1400 1500; Origin: sleight skill, trick (13 20 centuries) from Old Norse slœgth, from slœgr; SLY] 1.) the use of quick and skilful movements with your hands when doing a magic trick, so that people cannot understand …   Dictionary of contemporary English

  • sleight of hand — ► sleight of hand 1) manual dexterity, typically in performing conjuring tricks. 2) skilful deception. Main Entry: ↑sleight …   English terms dictionary

  • sleight-of-hand — sleightˈ of hand adjective • • • Main Entry: ↑sleight …   Useful english dictionary

  • sleight of hand — index prestidigitation Burton s Legal Thesaurus. William C. Burton. 2006 …   Law dictionary

  • sleight of hand —    Sleight of hand is the ability to use your hands in a clever way, like a magician performing tricks you can t see.   (Dorking School Dictionary) …   English Idioms & idiomatic expressions

  • sleight of hand — sleight′ of hand′ n. 1) skill in feats requiring quick and clever movements of the hands, esp. for entertainment or deception; legerdemain 2) the performance of such feats 3) any such feat; a magic or conjuring trick 4) skill in deception •… …   From formal English to slang

  • Sleight of hand —   Sleight of hand is the ability to use your hands in a clever way, like a magician performing tricks you can t see …   Dictionary of English idioms

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”