legerdemain
2
9.9
- noun
- /ˌlɛdʒərdəˈmeɪn/
- Formal
:
prestidigitación
- He wears a dark pigtail and has a sly, mysterious look on stage, as if daring anyone to question his legerdemain.
- parliamentary legerdemain
Examples
-
In the late 1930s, he wrote Black Herman's Secrets of Magic, Mystery, and Legerdemain.
Academic text (2007) -
I thought they, of all people, would see all that as a bunch of hocus pocus and legerdemain.
Blog text (23) -
Not complicated stuff, just basic legerdemain.
Fiction book (1990) -
The financial legerdemain used to put together the Euro is mind-boggling.
Blog text (29) -
Most classic detective stories rely on a single clue, gimmick, bit of legerdemain, or realization (the "aha" moment); the rest is embellishment.
Fiction book (2001) -
The magician's performance was full of legerdemain, leaving the audience in awe with his skillful tricks.
-
Her legerdemain during the card game allowed her to win against much more experienced players.
-
He demonstrated impressive legerdemain when he made the coins disappear and reappear at will.
Synonyms
∞
3.2
Power that makes impossible things happen, often in stories or rituals
255
2.3
A clever act that looks like magic and entertains people
52
4.2
A magic trick that makes something look impossible
29
2.7
A performance that looks impossible and surprises people
27
4.9
To use dishonest ways to cheat people
23
8.8
Skill in using the hands to do magic tricks secretly
14
7.5
Quick, skilled hand movements used to perform magic tricks or fool people
6
4.3
A trick that makes something look like real magic
3
9.9
A performance using quick, skilled hand movements to do magic tricks
1
4.9
A magic trick that seems to break natural rules to surprise and amuse people
1
9.9
A trick that looks like real magic and amazes people
Tricky or dishonest actions used to confuse people and gain advantage
Antonyms
How Skillful
Surface Forms
Etymology
Legerdemain comes from old French parts leger meaning 'light' and main meaning 'hand', so it originally meant 'lightness of hand'. That's why legerdemain today describes clever hand tricks or skillful trickery that happen so fast they seem like magic.