英语词汇“tradecraft”的英英意思、用法、释义、翻译、读音、例句、短语、词组-英语词典

Tradecraft refers to the often sneaky work of spies. Slapping a tracking device onto a briefcase, breaking into the upstairs offices of an embassy to rifle through file cabinets while posing as a socialite at a party: these are examples of the tradecraft that spies are taught to do.

Tradecraft is an old word that used to refer to the work, or craft, of any profession, or trade. It likely acquired its specific association with spy work during World War II, though it is a word most heavily associated with the Cold War. Some believe this association is entirely due to its appearance in the novels of John le Carré, prompting some fans to wonder if le Carré in fact coined it. Did it then slip into intelligence circles as an example of life imitating art? Le Carré denies this story, saying he heard the term while serving in the British Secret Service in the 1950s.

VOCABULARY SHOUT-OUT

For "The Americans" Season Opener, Get Your "Tradecraft" On

In a review of FX's Cold War-era thriller "The Americans," which begins its third season tonight, New York Times critic Alessandra Stanley expects her readers to know what she means by the term tradecraft when she writes:

The tradecraft on “The Americans” is a lot more sophisticated than real-life espionage seems to be nowadays.

Tradecraft is a deliciously insider-y term that refers to the traditional work of spies. In a "Behind the Dictionary" investigation last year, Neal Whitman wrote that the word "has been making its way into more mainstream consciousness recently, as we hear about operations like the search for Osama bin Laden, or about Edward Snowden's training as a spy." (Stanley points out that of late we're hearing mostly examples of poorly executed tradecraft, such as the recent filing of criminal charges against a Russian spy and his handlers.)

Whitman used the Google Ngram Viewer to compare occurences of tradecraft with the less popular synonym spycraft.

He then went on to explain tradecraft's origin and the reasons for its rise:

Tradecraft didn't start out with this intelligence-related meaning. The Oxford English Dictionary has it from 1812 with the meaning "the craft or art of trading or dealing." This citation from 1899 illustrates it well: "It is a lesson in tradecraft … to see how the girl holds her own with the dealers." And even now you can find examples like those lonely four that I found in COCA, as well as the occasional company name, like this building products outfit, or this provider of carrying cases for remote-control helicopters.

The origin of the modern tradecraft, according to the OED, is the use of the trade to refer to the British Secret Service. Here's their earliest example, from 1966: "'How long,' I asked her, 'have you been in the trade?'.. 'Three years, on active ops.'" But that can't be the full story. Unlike tradecraft, the phrase in the trade does not have strong connotations of spying and intelligence. Looking through the COCA examples, it's easy to find examples of in the trade referring to such diverse occupations as show business, agribusiness, rocketry, and physical anthropology. Why don't we immediately think of memorizing lines, transporting grain, calculating trajectories, or sorting shards of bone when we hear the word tradecraft?

Enter the Cold War, or more specifically, the Cold War as a source of entertainment. Novels with the Cold War as their backdrop provide some of the earliest attestations of tradecraft in its modern sense. More specifically still, novelist and former spy John le Carré is the source of the OED's first citation, from his first novel, 1961's Call for Dead: "He was suddenly alert... Was it the latent skill of his own tradecraft which informed him?" Le Carré, in fact, is the source of several early hits for tradecraft, in novels such as Looking Glass War (1965), Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy (1974), and The Honourable Schoolboy (1977)...

I claim no originality for 'tradecraft' whatsoever. It is a word that was officially in service in intelligence circles, certainly at the time of my own training in the '50s and '60s, and it has endured ever since. Whoever it was who derided my use of it was totally misinformed.

So if you choose to join the tradecraft party, be rest assured it's an authentic term.

You can read the rest of Whitman's piece here. And if it's not just spies, but the Cold War Era setting of "The Americans" that you find exciting, check out our word list "The Vocabulary of Soviet-Era Nostalgia & Cold War Spy Words" to travel back in time.

WORD FAMILY

tradecraft

USAGE EXAMPLES

The letter calls for the materials to be quickly declassified wherever possible to give the public insight into al-Qaida’s operations and tradecraft.

Seattle Times(Sep 23, 2016)

He acknowledges the contradiction, but Spicer’s tradecraft places a greater value on loyalty than consistency.

Washington Post(Aug 16, 2016)

The general and his staff would bring “that substantial experience and tradecraft that we learned by hard experience in Iraq and Afghanistan,” Mr. Carter said.

New York Times(Jul 11, 2016)

n skill acquired through experience in a trade; often used to discuss skill in espionage

instructional designers are trained in something that might be called tradecraft
the CIA chief of station accepted responsibility for his agents' failures of tradecraft

Hyper

craft, craftsmanship, workmanship

skill in an occupation or trade

单词	tradecraft
释义	tradecraft (once / 347627 pages) n Tradecraft refers to the often sneaky work of spies. Slapping a tracking device onto a briefcase, breaking into the upstairs offices of an embassy to rifle through file cabinets while posing as a socialite at a party: these are examples of the tradecraft that spies are taught to do. Tradecraft is an old word that used to refer to the work, or craft, of any profession, or trade. It likely acquired its specific association with spy work during World War II, though it is a word most heavily associated with the Cold War. Some believe this association is entirely due to its appearance in the novels of John le Carré, prompting some fans to wonder if le Carré in fact coined it. Did it then slip into intelligence circles as an example of life imitating art? Le Carré denies this story, saying he heard the term while serving in the British Secret Service in the 1950s. VOCABULARY SHOUT-OUT For "The Americans" Season Opener, Get Your "Tradecraft" On In a review of FX's Cold War-era thriller "The Americans," which begins its third season tonight, New York Times critic Alessandra Stanley expects her readers to know what she means by the term tradecraft when she writes: The tradecraft on “The Americans” is a lot more sophisticated than real-life espionage seems to be nowadays. Tradecraft is a deliciously insider-y term that refers to the traditional work of spies. In a "Behind the Dictionary" investigation last year, Neal Whitman wrote that the word "has been making its way into more mainstream consciousness recently, as we hear about operations like the search for Osama bin Laden, or about Edward Snowden's training as a spy." (Stanley points out that of late we're hearing mostly examples of poorly executed tradecraft, such as the recent filing of criminal charges against a Russian spy and his handlers.) Whitman used the Google Ngram Viewer to compare occurences of tradecraft with the less popular synonym spycraft. He then went on to explain tradecraft's origin and the reasons for its rise: Tradecraft didn't start out with this intelligence-related meaning. The Oxford English Dictionary has it from 1812 with the meaning "the craft or art of trading or dealing." This citation from 1899 illustrates it well: "It is a lesson in tradecraft … to see how the girl holds her own with the dealers." And even now you can find examples like those lonely four that I found in COCA, as well as the occasional company name, like this building products outfit, or this provider of carrying cases for remote-control helicopters. The origin of the modern tradecraft, according to the OED, is the use of the trade to refer to the British Secret Service. Here's their earliest example, from 1966: "'How long,' I asked her, 'have you been in the trade?'.. 'Three years, on active ops.'" But that can't be the full story. Unlike tradecraft, the phrase in the trade does not have strong connotations of spying and intelligence. Looking through the COCA examples, it's easy to find examples of in the trade referring to such diverse occupations as show business, agribusiness, rocketry, and physical anthropology. Why don't we immediately think of memorizing lines, transporting grain, calculating trajectories, or sorting shards of bone when we hear the word tradecraft? Enter the Cold War, or more specifically, the Cold War as a source of entertainment. Novels with the Cold War as their backdrop provide some of the earliest attestations of tradecraft in its modern sense. More specifically still, novelist and former spy John le Carré is the source of the OED's first citation, from his first novel, 1961's Call for Dead: "He was suddenly alert... Was it the latent skill of his own tradecraft which informed him?" Le Carré, in fact, is the source of several early hits for tradecraft, in novels such as Looking Glass War (1965), Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy (1974), and The Honourable Schoolboy (1977)... I claim no originality for 'tradecraft' whatsoever. It is a word that was officially in service in intelligence circles, certainly at the time of my own training in the '50s and '60s, and it has endured ever since. Whoever it was who derided my use of it was totally misinformed. So if you choose to join the tradecraft party, be rest assured it's an authentic term. You can read the rest of Whitman's piece here. And if it's not just spies, but the Cold War Era setting of "The Americans" that you find exciting, check out our word list "The Vocabulary of Soviet-Era Nostalgia & Cold War Spy Words" to travel back in time. WORD FAMILY tradecraft USAGE EXAMPLES The letter calls for the materials to be quickly declassified wherever possible to give the public insight into al-Qaida’s operations and tradecraft. Seattle Times(Sep 23, 2016) He acknowledges the contradiction, but Spicer’s tradecraft places a greater value on loyalty than consistency. Washington Post(Aug 16, 2016) The general and his staff would bring “that substantial experience and tradecraft that we learned by hard experience in Iraq and Afghanistan,” Mr. Carter said. New York Times(Jul 11, 2016) n skill acquired through experience in a trade; often used to discuss skill in espionage instructional designers are trained in something that might be called tradecraft the CIA chief of station accepted responsibility for his agents' failures of tradecraft Hyper craft, craftsmanship, workmanship skill in an occupation or trade
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