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card trick

card trick

9 2.8
A trick that uses playing cards to entertain people
  • noun
  • /kɑrd trɪk/
translation icon : truco de cartas
  • She practiced her card trick for hours to ensure it would wow her friends at the gathering.
  • a good card trick
  • perform a card trick
  • practicing card tricks

And so I thought it would be interesting to do a card trick backwards.

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Examples

  • At the party, he amazed everyone with his impressive card trick that made a chosen card appear from thin air.

  • In a card trick, the magician fans out the cards and says, "Pick one."

    Fiction book (1990)
  • The crowd loves the card trick in Act 2.

    Fiction book (1996)
  • So, someone please ask me to see a card trick! Or do I have to wait till I hit 30?

    Blog text (30)
  • I used to practice card tricks and table magic 8 hours a day.

  • Do you know any more card tricks?

  • I was showing Brandon my latest card trick.

  • I knew card tricks and went around with a deck demonstrating my magical skills.

    Fiction book (1993)
  • I hear you're pretty good with card tricks, Fitzwacker.

  • Roy, 17, lugging a big suitcase, walks through and takes a seat near Mintz, who's doing card tricks for his own pleasure.

    Fiction book (1990)

Synonyms

trick
vscard trick
255 2.3

A clever act that looks like magic and entertains people

is narrower, using small game objects handled by the performer
illusion
vscard trick
52 4.2

A magic trick that makes something look impossible

is a specific use of that deception centered on one hand-held prop
magic trick
vscard trick
29 2.7

A performance that looks impossible and surprises people

limits performances to routines using a single familiar hand-held prop
parlour trick
vscard trick
  • UK
3 6.7

A simple magic trick to amuse people at a small party

is instead a focused routine using a single hand-held prop
conjuring trick
vscard trick
1 4.9

A magic trick that seems to break natural rules to surprise and amuse people

uses one familiar hand-held prop rather than many varied acts

How Impressive

spectacle
68 4.2
illusion
52 4.2
card trick
9 2.8
party game
8 1.2

Surface Forms

card trick singular
card tricks plural

Morphology

card + trick

The meaning 'a trick performed using playing cards' is directly and compositionally derived from 'card' (a playing card) + 'trick' (an illusion or deceptive feat), so a learner who knows both constituents can infer the full meaning. This noun-noun compound is a transparent, cross-linguistically common pattern, making it readily understandable to a B1 learner.

Etymology

Card trick comes from magicians who use a card and quick hand moves to hide, change, or find a chosen card, making a surprising trick. That's why it means 'a trick with playing cards'.