trick in the book
13
4.3
- idiom
- Informal
:
todas las artimañas
- It's the oldest trick in the book!
- the oldest trick in the book
- tried every trick in the book
- used every trick in the book
So I just want to use all the tricks in the book because it's good to practice.
- So I just want to use all the tricks in the book because it's good to practice.
Examples
-
I pulled out every trick in the book today.
-
That was the oldest trick in the book, wasn't it?
-
Use every trick in the book and then some to push every child to be all he or she can be and then more.
Academic text (2006) -
So I just want to use all the tricks in the book because it's good to practice.
-
I played the oldest trick in the book.
-
They've used every trick in the book on him.
Fiction book (1992) -
Oh, that's the oldest trick in the book!
-
That's the oldest trick in the book.
-
Police used every trick in the book to get Michael to confess, according to a transcript of the interrogation, most of which was videotaped.
Academic text (1999) -
She used every trick in the book to win the competition.
Synonyms
764
2.6
A smart method for doing or remembering something
516
3.0
A planned action to reach a goal
102
4.9
A clever plan used to get a result, often to trick people
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
7
8.5
A clever plan to trick someone and gain an advantage
3
4.6
All possible methods someone uses to get something, often using clever or dishonest actions
1
5.0
A clever way to trick someone to get what you want
A clever but dishonest plan to gain an advantage
A plan that uses dishonest tricks to get an unfair advantage
Antonyms
How Complete
- Informal
13
4.3
11
4.1
879
3.3
516
3.0
∞
2.2
Surface Forms
Morphology
Knowing 'trick' + 'in' + 'book' yields a plausible literal interpretation 'a trick found in a book', so there is a visible compositional basis. However, the idiomatic extension to mean 'every possible method' (especially in the fixed phrase 'every trick in the book') is a metaphorical/generalizing shift that a B1 learner would not reliably predict without prior exposure.
Etymology
Trick in the book likely comes from the image of a book full of magic tricks or clever moves. If someone knows every trick in the book, they know all the ways to reach a goal, so the phrase now means 'every possible method', often including clever or sneaky ones.