schemey tactic
- noun
- Informal
:
estrategia engañosa
- Political opponents accused him of using schemey tactics to discredit his rivals.
Examples
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She was known for her schemey tactics when negotiating contracts.
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Despite his schemey tactics, he rarely achieved lasting success.
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Using a schemey tactic in negotiations is unethical.
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He often resorts to a schemey tactic to win arguments.
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Political opponents accused him of using schemey tactics to discredit his rivals.
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He often resorts to a schemey tactic to win arguments.
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Despite his schemey tactics, he rarely achieved lasting success.
Synonyms
678
8.2
A secret plan to trick or cheat people
516
3.0
A planned action to reach a goal
85
4.9
A clever trick used to gain an advantage in talk or negotiation
53
7.7
A clever trick to deceive someone
27
4.9
To use dishonest ways to cheat people
19
9.5
A trick or excuse to hide the real reason
12
6.0
Secret dishonest actions that harm or make someone look bad, often in politics and business
11
8.1
A clever trick that deceives people or hides the truth
8
9.3
Tricks people use to deceive others to get money or advantage
8
8.2
Using clever but not clearly against the rules moves to get an advantage in a game or competition
7
8.5
A clever plan to trick someone and gain an advantage
1
5.0
A clever way to trick someone to get what you want
1
9.8
Secret dishonest actions to get an unfair advantage
1
6.3
An illegal plan to get money by tricking people
A plan to control people by tricking them
A clever but dishonest plan to gain an advantage
Tricks that fool people to gain an advantage
Dishonest actions that try to trick people
How Devious
Surface Forms
Morphology
schemey + tactic
The phrase is a simple adjective+noun composition: 'schemey' (formed from 'scheme' + -y, meaning inclined to scheme/deceit) qualifies 'tactic' (a planned action), so the overall meaning 'a deceitful or manipulative strategy' is directly derivable. Although 'schemey' is informal/nonstandard, the morphological formation is productive and the sense follows transparently from the constituents, so a learner who knows both words would readily infer the MWE meaning.
Etymology
The phrase schemey tactic comes from the idea of a hidden scheme, a secret plan, and a tactic, a way of acting. Imagine someone quietly making a plan to trick others and then using it, and that's why the phrase means 'a tricky or dishonest strategy to get an unfair advantage'.