legerdemainn.adj.

Brit.

/ˌlɛdʒədəˈmeɪn/, U.S.

/ˌlɛdʒərdəˈmeɪn/

Forms: late Middle English lechardemane, late Middle English legerdemayn, late Middle English lygarde de mayne, 1500s ledgerdemayne, 1500s leger-du-maine, 1500s legerdemeane, 1500s legerdemein, 1500s legerdimayne, 1500s legerdimeane, 1500s legerdymayn, 1500s legerdymeyne, 1500s legier du mane, 1500s legierdumain, 1500s legyier demaine, 1500s lieger-du-mayne, 1500s liegerdemaine, 1500s liger demaine, 1500s ligerdemayne, 1500s ligier de meyne, 1500s ligier du mayne, 1500s ligierdemayne, 1500s lygier demaine, 1500s lygierdemayne, 1500s–1600s ledgerdemaine, 1500s–1600s legerdemaine, 1500s–1600s legerdemane, 1500s–1600s legerdemane, 1500s–1600s legerdemayn, 1500s–1600s legerdemayne, 1500s–1600s legerdimain, 1500s–1600s legerdimaine, 1500s–1600s legierdemain, 1500s–1600s legierdemaine, 1500s–1600s legierdemane, 1500s–1600s legierdemayne, 1500s–1600s legierdumaine, 1500s–1600s leigerdemaine, 1500s–1600s leigerdumain, 1500s–1600s liegerdemain, 1500s–1600s liegerdemayne, 1500s–1600s ligerdemain, 1500s– legerdemain, 1600s ledgerdemain, 1600s legeirdemaine, 1600s leger du main, 1600s leger du mein, 1600s legerdemeen, 1600s legerdemeine, 1600s legerdimane, 1600s legerdumaine, 1600s legerdumayne, 1600s leggerdemaine, 1600s leggerdemaine, 1600s leiger du mayn, 1600s leigerdemain, 1600s leigerdumaine, 1600s liegerdumaine, 1600s liegerdumayn, 1600s–1700s legerdumain, 1700s leidger demain.

Origin: Apparently a borrowing from French. Etymon: French *leger de main.

Etymology: Apparently < an unattested Middle French phrase *leger de main skilful, dexterous, nimble < leger light (see leger adj.) + de de prep. + main hand (see main n.³). Compare Middle French estre ligier de sa main (1486), avoir la main legiere (1496), both in sense ‘to be skilful or dexterous’, and also French léger de main (18th cent. or earlier as noun in sense ‘artful deception, trickery’, 20th cent. or earlier as adjective in sense ‘adroit, nimble’).In forms with du arising by misapprehension of Middle French, French main (feminine) as a masculine noun. In early modern English often written as two or three words or hyphenated.

A. n.

a. Skilful use of one’s hands when performing conjuring tricks; sleight of hand; (also) the performance of conjuring tricks using this skill. Also in extended use.

ΘΚΠ

society > leisure > the arts > performance arts > legerdemain, etc. > [noun]

colea1307

jugglingc1380

tregetryc1380

jugglerya1400

tregettingc1440

legerdemaina1450

jocularya1500

conveyance1531

prestigiation?c1550

conjuring1577

figgum1631

prestigion1635

sleight of handa1640

hocus-pocus1647

sleight1664

jugglementa1708

thaumaturgy1727

conjurationa1734

ventriloquism1797

magic1831

prestidigitation1841

hocus1854

conjury1855

a1450 (?c1430) J. Lydgate Daunce Machabree (Huntington) (1931) l. 526 Legerdemeyn now helpeth me right nowght.

?c1475 Catholicon Anglicum (BL Add. 15562) f. 72 (MED) To play lechardemane, pancraciari.

1528 Rede me & be nott Wrothe sig. i i^v O, churche men are wyly foxes, More crafty then iuggelers boxes, To play ligier du mayne teached.

1584 R. Scot Discouerie Witchcraft xiii. xxii. 321 The true art..of iuggling consisteth in legierdemaine; to wit, the nimble conueiance of the hand.

1596 E. Spenser Second Pt. Faerie Queene v. ix. sig. T6 For he in slights and iugling feates did flow, And of legierdemayne the mysteries did know.

a1640 J. Fletcher et al. Beggers Bush iii. i, in F. Beaumont & J. Fletcher Comedies & Trag. (1647) sig. L12 Will ye see any feates of activity, Some sleight of hand, leigerdemaine?

1707 G. Farquhar Beaux Stratagem v. 69 What's here? Legerdemain! By this Light, my Lord, our Money again.

1756 C. Lucas Ess. Waters iii. 220 The name of a magician..has..been assumed and abused by masters of leger de main.

1817 S. T. Coleridge Biogr. Lit. 116 The professors of legerdemain at our village fairs, pull out ribbon after ribbon from their mouth.

1856 P. E. Dove Logic Christian Faith ii. ii. 115 The legerdemain of the skilful trickster who deceives our very senses.

1926 Harper's Mag. Dec. 14/1 With skilful legerdemain he snapped a match into flame on his thumbnail.

2014 New Yorker 14 Apr. 18/3 He uses legerdemain and mind reading to flummox the crowd.

b. A piece of sleight of hand; a conjuring trick.

ΚΠ

1592 Greenes Groats-worth of Witte sig. C2 By these he learnd the legerdemaines of nips, foystes, connycatchers, crosbyters, lifts, high Lawyers, and all the rabble of that vncleane generation of vipers.

1681 P. Rycaut tr. B. Gracián y Morales Critick 123 His sacred Majesty..desired to sit close, intending to entertain the People with the Subtleties, and Legerdemains of a cunning Jugler.

1775 Monthly Rev. Dec. 521 All the Operations, Legerdemains, Tricks, Shuffles, Cuts, or any possible indirect Means that can be introduced at those Games.

1822 Mirror Lit., Amusem., & Instr. 14 Dec. 98/2 The flying piece of money and an infinity of Legerdemains worthy to excite the curiosity of spectators.

1874 Spiritual Mag. Aug. 351 Messrs. Maskelyne and Cook are now every day in London re-producing all these boasted phenomena... It is a mere matter of machinery and a skilful legerdemain.

1979 G. Sorrentino Mulligan Stew xi. 371 And now, dearest patrons and adorers and fans of legerdemains, a small feat of uncanniness!

2011 L. L. Enright Vampires' most Wanted iii. 22 In a clever legerdemain, the audience focuses on his left hand while the right hand hides the object.

a. Skill in deceiving or misleading others in order to achieve one's purpose or benefit oneself; the action or fact of employing this skill; artful deception or trickery.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > mental capacity > knowledge > conformity with what is known, truth > deceit, deception, trickery > [noun]

swikec893

swikedomc893

dwalec950

braida1000

falsec1000

flerdc1000

swikelnessa1023

fakenOE

chuffingc1175

fikenungc1175

bipechingc1200

treachery?c1225

falseshipc1230

guilec1230

telingc1230

swikeheada1250

craftc1275

felony1297

wrench1297

deceitc1300

gabc1300

guiling13..

guilery1303

quaintisec1325

wrenk1338

beswiking1340

falsehood1340

abetc1350

wissing1357

wilec1374

faitery1377

faiting1377

tregetryc1380

fallacec1384

trainc1390

coverture1393

facrere1393

ficklenessc1397

falsagea1400

tregeta1400

abusionc1405

blearingc1405

deceptionc1430

mean?c1430

tricotc1430

obreption1465

fallacy1481

japery1496

gauderya1529

fallax1530

conveyance1531

legerdemain1532

dole1538

trompe1547

joukery1562

convoyance1578

forgery1582

abetment1586

outreaching1587

chicanery1589

falsery1594

falsity1603

fubbery1604

renaldry1612

supercherie1621

circumduction1623

fobbinga1627

dice-play1633

beguile1637

fallaxitya1641

ingannation1646

hocus1652

renardism1661

dodgerya1670

knapping1671

trap1681

joukery-pawkery1686

jugglery1699

take-in1772

tripotage1779

trickery1801

ruse1807

dupery1816

nailing1819

pawkery1820

hanky-panky1841

hokey-pokey1847

suck-in1856

phenakisma1863

skulduggery1867

sharp practice1869

dodginess1871

jiggery-pokery1893

flim-flammery1898

runaround1915

hanky1924

to give the go-around1925

Scandiknavery1927

the twist1933

hype1955

mamaguy1971

the mind > mental capacity > knowledge > conformity with what is known, truth > deceit, deception, trickery > cheating, fraud > trickery, playing jokes > [noun]

legerdemain1532

hocus-pocus1647

sham1683

funning1728

humbugging1752

humming1807

hoaxing1808

larking1813

cutting-up1843

cut-up1843

shenanigan1855

codology1860

greening1863

cod1866

leg-pulling1879

spoof1889

codding1892

spoofery1895

four-flushing1901

kidding1901

shenaniganning1924

kidology1964

1532 T. More Confut. Tyndale in Wks. 639/2 Hys lygier demaine in stealing.

1565 J. Jewel Def. Apol. Churche Eng. (1611) 529 Wel may we iest at your vnhandsome and open legierdumaine, that so vainly seeke to blinde vs with a painted shadow of the Spirit of God.

1679 tr. Trag. Hist. Jetzer 13 This whole business was nothing but pure Legerdemain and Knavery.

1710 Ld. Shaftesbury Soliloquy 3 There is a certain Knack or Legerdemain in Argument.

1823 J. Lingard Hist. Eng. VI. 282 The theological legerdemain, by which Cranmer pretended to nullify the oath of obedience..to the pontiff.

1875 B. Jowett in tr. Plato Dialogues (ed. 2) IV. 134 We are inclined to regard the treatment of them [paradoxes]..as a mere legerdemain of words.

1918 Yale Rev. Jan. 375 The financial legerdemain mentioned tended to enrich a comparatively few investors at the expense of the majority of investors and of the public.

1952 J. Lait & L. Mortimer U.S.A. Confidential ii. xiv. 139 Who sent more than a million bucks into California to slip this unbelievable piece of legal legerdemain over on a gullible public?

2005 Relig. Stud. 41 161 It might be objected that such adaptation is nothing more than linguistic legerdemain designed to eliminate the problem artificially.

b. An act of skilful deception, manipulation, or chicanery.

ΘΚΠ

society > leisure > the arts > performance arts > legerdemain, etc. > [noun] > a trick

colea1307

playa1475

conveyance1534

legerdemain?1544

prank1555

convoyance1578

sleight1596

pass1599

paviea1605

trick1609

sleight of handa1626

hocus-pocus1647

juggle1664

hocus-trickc1680

passe-passe1687

jugglementa1708

thaumaturgics1721

necromantics1745

conjuration1820

?1544 J. Bale Epist. Exhortatorye f. xvi^v To acknowledge Iesus Christ for their onlye redemer and sauer without your lowsye legerdemaynes.

1578 J. Lyly Euphues f. 45 I woulde not that all women shoulde take pepper in the nose, in that I haue disclosed the legerdemaines of a fewe.

1625 in V. Skinner tr. R. Gonsalvius Montanus Discouerie Holy Inquisition of Spaine Contents sig. A.2^v The treacheries and legerdemaines of the Inquisition in practice and exercise.

1663 B. Gerbier Counsel to Builders 48 He must with his Eyes follow..the line wherewith the Joyners work is measured, that it be not let slide through the Measurers fingers, since..a Leger de Mayne may be prejudicial to the paymasters purse.

1719 P. Horneck High-German Doctor (new ed.) I. 159 A few Tokens of Contrition, which I can easily learn from a Monthly Malefactor, and then I am equipp'd for some fresh Legerdemains.

1795 P. Will tr. J. C. Lavater Secret Jrnl. of Self-observer I. 138 I could sooner forgive him [sc. Rousseau] every thing, than his glaring sophism, that the miracles of Christ are only virtus, and parallel to his legerdemains!

1860 Hour & Man 7/1 This they do not seek from its legitimate source, the people, but by the aid of a legislative legerdemain.

1891 C. Fairfield in T. Mackay Plea for Liberty iv. 179 Victorian colonists, used to having their children educated ‘for nothing’, or rather, at the cost of some person or persons unknown, by means of a financial legerdemain.

1913 W. B. Forbush Guide Bk. to Childhood (1922) i. 222 So-called ‘object sermons’ are treacherous because analogies are seldom perfect and the child gets the impression of a clever legerdemain rather than a serious moral appeal.

1997 Mod. Philol. 94 417 The author denounces some of Freud's rhetorical legerdemains.

†3. A person who performs sleight-of-hand conjuring tricks; a conjuror. Cf. legerdemainist n. Obsolete.

ΘΚΠ

society > leisure > the arts > performance arts > legerdemain, etc. > [noun] > juggler or conjurer

jugglera1100

tregetour1340

hey-passa1593

prestigiator1595

baffler1606

feat-worker1617

hocus-pocus1624

hocus1647

chirosophist1652

fascinator1677

legerdemain1696

prestidigitator1712

conjurer1727

sleight-of-hand man1757

nimble-fingers1781

sleight-of-hand professor1801

legerdemainist1830

magician1834

illusionist1850

jongleura1851

wizard1859

deceptionist1883

mentalist1906

1696 C. Cibber Love's Last Shift ii. 25 The Fool diverted me, and I gave him my hand, as I wou'd lend my Mony, Fan, or Hankerchief to a Legerdemain, that I might see him play all his Tricks over.

1727 J. Oldmixon Clarendon & Whitlock Compar'd Pref. p. x We may be sure it is intended to amuse us, as Legerdemains make Flourishes, when they are about to play Tricks.

B. adj. (attributive).

Characterized by the use of legerdemain, esp. characterized by deception or chicanery; underhand, deceiving. Now rare.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > mental capacity > knowledge > conformity with what is known, truth > deceit, deception, trickery > cheating, fraud > trickery, playing jokes > [adjective]

hocus-pocus1668

legerdemain1683

hoaxical1819

tricky1868

spoof1884

plisky1887

1683 J. Dryden Life Plutarch Ded. sig. C5 These Legerdemain Authors, are for telling stories, to keep their trick undiscover'd.

1742 W. Ellis London & Country Brewer (ed. 4) I. 39 In such a Legerdemain Manner, as gulled and infatuated the ignorant Drinker.

1747 H. Glasse Art of Cookery iii. 54 By this Sort of legerdemain Sum, fine Estates are juggled into France.

1812 R. Southey in Q. Rev. 8 96 Phantasmagoric and legerdemain miracles.

1836 J. Gilbert Christian Atonem. ii. 65 The legerdemain kind of criticism resorted to by our adversaries.

1908 Railway Conductor Nov. 928/2 They should..exchange views and make plans and schedules in a plain, open-hearted manner. No legerdemain tactics on either side.

2012 R. T. Raichev Murder of Gonzago vi Can you really do the Sherlock Holmes trick of guessing facts about people in a seemingly legerdemain manner?

Compounds

Chiefly general attributive, as legerdemain show, legerdemain trick, etc.

ΘΚΠ

society > leisure > the arts > performance arts > legerdemain, etc. > [adjective]

juggling?1531

sleight1533

prestigious?1534

juggled1536

conjuring1552

legerdemain1576

prestigiatory1588

hocus-pocus1668

presto1826

prestidigital1856

prestidigitatory1860

prestidigitatorial1861

presto changeo1923

1576 T. Newton tr. L. Lemnie Touchstone of Complexions ii. ii. 101 Some Iuglers, & Legier du maine players.

1624 J. Gee New Shreds Old Snare Pref. p. ii Some snips of..their legerdemaine trickes..here I display.

1707 tr. P. Le Lorrain de Vallemont Curiosities in Husbandry & Gardening 91 Jugglers, who show Legerdemain Tricks.

1760 J. Rutty Spiritual Diary (ed. 2) 171 A legerdemain-man getting four guineas a day.

1838 J. Comstock Tongue of Time iv. 252 Sir Dugald..was present at some legerdemain exhibition.

1855 P. T. Barnum Autobiogr. (ed. 2) viii. 75 Here we met a legerdemain performer by the name of Henry Hawley.

1894 M. S. Bramhall Wee Ones of Japan ii. 58 The hawker..beats a drum, sings a song, spins a yarn, performs two or three legerdemain tricks.

1912 M. B. Leavitt Fifty Years in Theatr. Managem. xxxiii. 506 It gave variety and novelty to Professor Heller's legerdemain show.

2003 E. Krau Meta-psychol. Perspective on Individual Course of Life iii. 47 It has become a fashion considering that in every psi phenomenon a legerdemain trick has been introduced.

This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, March 2016; most recently modified version published online March 2022).

单词	legerdemain
释义	legerdemainn.adj. Brit. /ˌlɛdʒədəˈmeɪn/, U.S. /ˌlɛdʒərdəˈmeɪn/ Forms: late Middle English lechardemane, late Middle English legerdemayn, late Middle English lygarde de mayne, 1500s ledgerdemayne, 1500s leger-du-maine, 1500s legerdemeane, 1500s legerdemein, 1500s legerdimayne, 1500s legerdimeane, 1500s legerdymayn, 1500s legerdymeyne, 1500s legier du mane, 1500s legierdumain, 1500s legyier demaine, 1500s lieger-du-mayne, 1500s liegerdemaine, 1500s liger demaine, 1500s ligerdemayne, 1500s ligier de meyne, 1500s ligier du mayne, 1500s ligierdemayne, 1500s lygier demaine, 1500s lygierdemayne, 1500s–1600s ledgerdemaine, 1500s–1600s legerdemaine, 1500s–1600s legerdemane, 1500s–1600s legerdemane, 1500s–1600s legerdemayn, 1500s–1600s legerdemayne, 1500s–1600s legerdimain, 1500s–1600s legerdimaine, 1500s–1600s legierdemain, 1500s–1600s legierdemaine, 1500s–1600s legierdemane, 1500s–1600s legierdemayne, 1500s–1600s legierdumaine, 1500s–1600s leigerdemaine, 1500s–1600s leigerdumain, 1500s–1600s liegerdemain, 1500s–1600s liegerdemayne, 1500s–1600s ligerdemain, 1500s– legerdemain, 1600s ledgerdemain, 1600s legeirdemaine, 1600s leger du main, 1600s leger du mein, 1600s legerdemeen, 1600s legerdemeine, 1600s legerdimane, 1600s legerdumaine, 1600s legerdumayne, 1600s leggerdemaine, 1600s leggerdemaine, 1600s leiger du mayn, 1600s leigerdemain, 1600s leigerdumaine, 1600s liegerdumaine, 1600s liegerdumayn, 1600s–1700s legerdumain, 1700s leidger demain. Origin: Apparently a borrowing from French. Etymon: French leger de main. Etymology: Apparently < an unattested Middle French phrase leger de main skilful, dexterous, nimble < leger light (see leger adj.) + de de prep. + main hand (see main n.³). Compare Middle French estre ligier de sa main (1486), avoir la main legiere (1496), both in sense ‘to be skilful or dexterous’, and also French léger de main (18th cent. or earlier as noun in sense ‘artful deception, trickery’, 20th cent. or earlier as adjective in sense ‘adroit, nimble’).In forms with du arising by misapprehension of Middle French, French main (feminine) as a masculine noun. In early modern English often written as two or three words or hyphenated. A. n. 1. a. Skilful use of one’s hands when performing conjuring tricks; sleight of hand; (also) the performance of conjuring tricks using this skill. Also in extended use. ΘΚΠ society > leisure > the arts > performance arts > legerdemain, etc. > [noun] colea1307 jugglingc1380 tregetryc1380 jugglerya1400 tregettingc1440 legerdemaina1450 jocularya1500 conveyance1531 prestigiation?c1550 conjuring1577 figgum1631 prestigion1635 sleight of handa1640 hocus-pocus1647 sleight1664 jugglementa1708 thaumaturgy1727 conjurationa1734 ventriloquism1797 magic1831 prestidigitation1841 hocus1854 conjury1855 a1450 (?c1430) J. Lydgate Daunce Machabree (Huntington) (1931) l. 526 Legerdemeyn now helpeth me right nowght. ?c1475 Catholicon Anglicum (BL Add. 15562) f. 72 (MED) To play lechardemane, pancraciari. 1528 Rede me & be nott Wrothe sig. i i^v O, churche men are wyly foxes, More crafty then iuggelers boxes, To play ligier du mayne teached. 1584 R. Scot Discouerie Witchcraft xiii. xxii. 321 The true art..of iuggling consisteth in legierdemaine; to wit, the nimble conueiance of the hand. 1596 E. Spenser Second Pt. Faerie Queene v. ix. sig. T6 For he in slights and iugling feates did flow, And of legierdemayne the mysteries did know. View more context for this quotation a1640 J. Fletcher et al. Beggers Bush iii. i, in F. Beaumont & J. Fletcher Comedies & Trag. (1647) sig. L12 Will ye see any feates of activity, Some sleight of hand, leigerdemaine? 1707 G. Farquhar Beaux Stratagem v. 69 What's here? Legerdemain! By this Light, my Lord, our Money again. 1756 C. Lucas Ess. Waters iii. 220 The name of a magician..has..been assumed and abused by masters of leger de main. 1817 S. T. Coleridge Biogr. Lit. 116 The professors of legerdemain at our village fairs, pull out ribbon after ribbon from their mouth. 1856 P. E. Dove Logic Christian Faith ii. ii. 115 The legerdemain of the skilful trickster who deceives our very senses. 1926 Harper's Mag. Dec. 14/1 With skilful legerdemain he snapped a match into flame on his thumbnail. 2014 New Yorker 14 Apr. 18/3 He uses legerdemain and mind reading to flummox the crowd. b. A piece of sleight of hand; a conjuring trick. ΚΠ 1592 Greenes Groats-worth of Witte sig. C2 By these he learnd the legerdemaines of nips, foystes, connycatchers, crosbyters, lifts, high Lawyers, and all the rabble of that vncleane generation of vipers. 1681 P. Rycaut tr. B. Gracián y Morales Critick 123 His sacred Majesty..desired to sit close, intending to entertain the People with the Subtleties, and Legerdemains of a cunning Jugler. 1775 Monthly Rev. Dec. 521 All the Operations, Legerdemains, Tricks, Shuffles, Cuts, or any possible indirect Means that can be introduced at those Games. 1822 Mirror Lit., Amusem., & Instr. 14 Dec. 98/2 The flying piece of money and an infinity of Legerdemains worthy to excite the curiosity of spectators. 1874 Spiritual Mag. Aug. 351 Messrs. Maskelyne and Cook are now every day in London re-producing all these boasted phenomena... It is a mere matter of machinery and a skilful legerdemain. 1979 G. Sorrentino Mulligan Stew xi. 371 And now, dearest patrons and adorers and fans of legerdemains, a small feat of uncanniness! 2011 L. L. Enright Vampires' most Wanted iii. 22 In a clever legerdemain, the audience focuses on his left hand while the right hand hides the object. 2. a. Skill in deceiving or misleading others in order to achieve one's purpose or benefit oneself; the action or fact of employing this skill; artful deception or trickery. ΘΚΠ the mind > mental capacity > knowledge > conformity with what is known, truth > deceit, deception, trickery > [noun] swikec893 swikedomc893 dwalec950 braida1000 falsec1000 flerdc1000 swikelnessa1023 fakenOE chuffingc1175 fikenungc1175 bipechingc1200 treachery?c1225 falseshipc1230 guilec1230 telingc1230 swikeheada1250 craftc1275 felony1297 wrench1297 deceitc1300 gabc1300 guiling13.. guilery1303 quaintisec1325 wrenk1338 beswiking1340 falsehood1340 abetc1350 wissing1357 wilec1374 faitery1377 faiting1377 tregetryc1380 fallacec1384 trainc1390 coverture1393 facrere1393 ficklenessc1397 falsagea1400 tregeta1400 abusionc1405 blearingc1405 deceptionc1430 mean?c1430 tricotc1430 obreption1465 fallacy1481 japery1496 gauderya1529 fallax1530 conveyance1531 legerdemain1532 dole1538 trompe1547 joukery1562 convoyance1578 forgery1582 abetment1586 outreaching1587 chicanery1589 falsery1594 falsity1603 fubbery1604 renaldry1612 supercherie1621 circumduction1623 fobbinga1627 dice-play1633 beguile1637 fallaxitya1641 ingannation1646 hocus1652 renardism1661 dodgerya1670 knapping1671 trap1681 joukery-pawkery1686 jugglery1699 take-in1772 tripotage1779 trickery1801 ruse1807 dupery1816 nailing1819 pawkery1820 hanky-panky1841 hokey-pokey1847 suck-in1856 phenakisma1863 skulduggery1867 sharp practice1869 dodginess1871 jiggery-pokery1893 flim-flammery1898 runaround1915 hanky1924 to give the go-around1925 Scandiknavery1927 the twist1933 hype1955 mamaguy1971 the mind > mental capacity > knowledge > conformity with what is known, truth > deceit, deception, trickery > cheating, fraud > trickery, playing jokes > [noun] legerdemain1532 hocus-pocus1647 sham1683 funning1728 humbugging1752 humming1807 hoaxing1808 larking1813 cutting-up1843 cut-up1843 shenanigan1855 codology1860 greening1863 cod1866 leg-pulling1879 spoof1889 codding1892 spoofery1895 four-flushing1901 kidding1901 shenaniganning1924 kidology1964 1532 T. More Confut. Tyndale in Wks. 639/2 Hys lygier demaine in stealing. 1565 J. Jewel Def. Apol. Churche Eng. (1611) 529 Wel may we iest at your vnhandsome and open legierdumaine, that so vainly seeke to blinde vs with a painted shadow of the Spirit of God. 1679 tr. Trag. Hist. Jetzer 13 This whole business was nothing but pure Legerdemain and Knavery. 1710 Ld. Shaftesbury Soliloquy 3 There is a certain Knack or Legerdemain in Argument. 1823 J. Lingard Hist. Eng. VI. 282 The theological legerdemain, by which Cranmer pretended to nullify the oath of obedience..to the pontiff. 1875 B. Jowett in tr. Plato Dialogues (ed. 2) IV. 134 We are inclined to regard the treatment of them [paradoxes]..as a mere legerdemain of words. 1918 Yale Rev. Jan. 375 The financial legerdemain mentioned tended to enrich a comparatively few investors at the expense of the majority of investors and of the public. 1952 J. Lait & L. Mortimer U.S.A. Confidential ii. xiv. 139 Who sent more than a million bucks into California to slip this unbelievable piece of legal legerdemain over on a gullible public? 2005 Relig. Stud. 41 161 It might be objected that such adaptation is nothing more than linguistic legerdemain designed to eliminate the problem artificially. b. An act of skilful deception, manipulation, or chicanery. ΘΚΠ society > leisure > the arts > performance arts > legerdemain, etc. > [noun] > a trick colea1307 playa1475 conveyance1534 legerdemain?1544 prank1555 convoyance1578 sleight1596 pass1599 paviea1605 trick1609 sleight of handa1626 hocus-pocus1647 juggle1664 hocus-trickc1680 passe-passe1687 jugglementa1708 thaumaturgics1721 necromantics1745 conjuration1820 ?1544 J. Bale Epist. Exhortatorye f. xvi^v To acknowledge Iesus Christ for their onlye redemer and sauer without your lowsye legerdemaynes. 1578 J. Lyly Euphues f. 45 I woulde not that all women shoulde take pepper in the nose, in that I haue disclosed the legerdemaines of a fewe. 1625 in V. Skinner tr. R. Gonsalvius Montanus Discouerie Holy Inquisition of Spaine Contents sig. A.2^v The treacheries and legerdemaines of the Inquisition in practice and exercise. 1663 B. Gerbier Counsel to Builders 48 He must with his Eyes follow..the line wherewith the Joyners work is measured, that it be not let slide through the Measurers fingers, since..a Leger de Mayne may be prejudicial to the paymasters purse. 1719 P. Horneck High-German Doctor (new ed.) I. 159 A few Tokens of Contrition, which I can easily learn from a Monthly Malefactor, and then I am equipp'd for some fresh Legerdemains. 1795 P. Will tr. J. C. Lavater Secret Jrnl. of Self-observer I. 138 I could sooner forgive him [sc. Rousseau] every thing, than his glaring sophism, that the miracles of Christ are only virtus, and parallel to his legerdemains! 1860 Hour & Man 7/1 This they do not seek from its legitimate source, the people, but by the aid of a legislative legerdemain. 1891 C. Fairfield in T. Mackay Plea for Liberty iv. 179 Victorian colonists, used to having their children educated ‘for nothing’, or rather, at the cost of some person or persons unknown, by means of a financial legerdemain. 1913 W. B. Forbush Guide Bk. to Childhood (1922) i. 222 So-called ‘object sermons’ are treacherous because analogies are seldom perfect and the child gets the impression of a clever legerdemain rather than a serious moral appeal. 1997 Mod. Philol. 94 417 The author denounces some of Freud's rhetorical legerdemains. †3. A person who performs sleight-of-hand conjuring tricks; a conjuror. Cf. legerdemainist n. Obsolete. ΘΚΠ society > leisure > the arts > performance arts > legerdemain, etc. > [noun] > juggler or conjurer jugglera1100 tregetour1340 hey-passa1593 prestigiator1595 baffler1606 feat-worker1617 hocus-pocus1624 hocus1647 chirosophist1652 fascinator1677 legerdemain1696 prestidigitator1712 conjurer1727 sleight-of-hand man1757 nimble-fingers1781 sleight-of-hand professor1801 legerdemainist1830 magician1834 illusionist1850 jongleura1851 wizard1859 deceptionist1883 mentalist1906 1696 C. Cibber Love's Last Shift ii. 25 The Fool diverted me, and I gave him my hand, as I wou'd lend my Mony, Fan, or Hankerchief to a Legerdemain, that I might see him play all his Tricks over. 1727 J. Oldmixon Clarendon & Whitlock Compar'd Pref. p. x We may be sure it is intended to amuse us, as Legerdemains make Flourishes, when they are about to play Tricks. B. adj. (attributive). Characterized by the use of legerdemain, esp. characterized by deception or chicanery; underhand, deceiving. Now rare. ΘΚΠ the mind > mental capacity > knowledge > conformity with what is known, truth > deceit, deception, trickery > cheating, fraud > trickery, playing jokes > [adjective] hocus-pocus1668 legerdemain1683 hoaxical1819 tricky1868 spoof1884 plisky1887 1683 J. Dryden Life Plutarch Ded. sig. C5 These Legerdemain Authors, are for telling stories, to keep their trick undiscover'd. 1742 W. Ellis London & Country Brewer (ed. 4) I. 39 In such a Legerdemain Manner, as gulled and infatuated the ignorant Drinker. 1747 H. Glasse Art of Cookery iii. 54 By this Sort of legerdemain Sum, fine Estates are juggled into France. 1812 R. Southey in Q. Rev. 8 96 Phantasmagoric and legerdemain miracles. 1836 J. Gilbert Christian Atonem. ii. 65 The legerdemain kind of criticism resorted to by our adversaries. 1908 Railway Conductor Nov. 928/2 They should..exchange views and make plans and schedules in a plain, open-hearted manner. No legerdemain tactics on either side. 2012 R. T. Raichev Murder of Gonzago vi Can you really do the Sherlock Holmes trick of guessing facts about people in a seemingly legerdemain manner? Compounds Chiefly general attributive, as legerdemain show, legerdemain trick, etc. ΘΚΠ society > leisure > the arts > performance arts > legerdemain, etc. > [adjective] juggling?1531 sleight1533 prestigious?1534 juggled1536 conjuring1552 legerdemain1576 prestigiatory1588 hocus-pocus1668 presto1826 prestidigital1856 prestidigitatory1860 prestidigitatorial1861 presto changeo1923 1576 T. Newton tr. L. Lemnie Touchstone of Complexions ii. ii. 101 Some Iuglers, & Legier du maine players. 1624 J. Gee New Shreds Old Snare Pref. p. ii Some snips of..their legerdemaine trickes..here I display. 1707 tr. P. Le Lorrain de Vallemont Curiosities in Husbandry & Gardening 91 Jugglers, who show Legerdemain Tricks. 1760 J. Rutty Spiritual Diary (ed. 2) 171 A legerdemain-man getting four guineas a day. 1838 J. Comstock Tongue of Time iv. 252 Sir Dugald..was present at some legerdemain exhibition. 1855 P. T. Barnum Autobiogr. (ed. 2) viii. 75 Here we met a legerdemain performer by the name of Henry Hawley. 1894 M. S. Bramhall Wee Ones of Japan ii. 58 The hawker..beats a drum, sings a song, spins a yarn, performs two or three legerdemain tricks. 1912 M. B. Leavitt Fifty Years in Theatr. Managem. xxxiii. 506 It gave variety and novelty to Professor Heller's legerdemain show. 2003 E. Krau Meta-psychol. Perspective on Individual Course of Life iii. 47 It has become a fashion considering that in every psi phenomenon a legerdemain trick has been introduced. This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, March 2016; most recently modified version published online March 2022). legerdemainv. Brit. /ˌlɛdʒədəˈmeɪn/, U.S. /ˌlɛdʒərdəˈmeɪn/ Forms: see legerdemain n. Origin: Formed within English, by conversion. Etymon: legerdemain n. Etymology: < legerdemain n. †1. intransitive and transitive with it. To use sleight of hand, trickery, or deception. Cf. legerdemain n. 1a, 2. Obsolete. ΘΚΠ the mind > mental capacity > knowledge > conformity with what is known, truth > deceit, deception, trickery > cheating, fraud > trickery, playing jokes > practise trickery [verb (intransitive)] triflec1305 legerdemain1483 to practise on (also upon) —1600 to play hocus-pocus1659 palm1686 trick1698 shab1755 kid1811 lark1813 prank1826 mank1861 cod1874 1483 Catholicon Anglicum (BL Add. 89074) (1881) 212 (MED) To Legerdemayn, pancraciari. a1678 A. Marvell Hist. Poem in State Poems (1697) 106 Baal's wretched Curates Legerdemain'd it so, And never durst their Tricks above-board shew. 2. transitive. To transform (something) from one form into another. Also (with adverb or adverbial phrase): to change the place or position of (something) in the specified way. Now rare. ΚΠ 1737 Polit. State Great Brit. May 452 The Order on Governor Horne..has been as artfully legerdemained into a Letter of Recommendation, which you swear was at the Captain's Request. 1750 P. Hiffernan Self-enamour'd 44 When Iphigenia was on the Point of being immolated, Diana legerdemain'd her away, and slipp'd a Deer in her Place. 1840 H. C. Todd Notes Canada & U.S. (ed. 2) 86 Sam Swipes, retailer of gin-sling and hot toddy, is no sooner legerdemained to a seat within its capitol—capitol!—than he is metamorphosed into the Honorable Samuel Swipes. 1907 To-morrow Oct. 46 We are to conclude that the aggregate of these minus marks can somehow be legerdemained into a positive quantity. 1975 H. Porter Extra v. 125 Neil Bell, and poet Edward Shanks were semi-seriously legerdemained into Archdukes and Dukes of Sangro. This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, March 2016; most recently modified version published online June 2022). < n.adj.a1450v.1483
随便看	long weekend long whiles long whist long wool long word long worts long writ long yam long years long yore long zedoary long, hot summer long-abandoned long-accepted long-accustomed long-acting long-acuminate long-agitated long-ago long-ambitioned long-anticipated long-armed long-ass long-awaited long-axed

legerdemainn.adj.

Compounds

legerdemainv.