legerdemain

[ lej-er-duh-meyn ]

noun

1. sleight of hand.
2. trickery; deception.
3. any artful trick.

legerdemain

/ ˌlɛdʒədəˈmeɪn /

noun

1. another name for sleight of hand
2. cunning deception or trickery

Derived Forms

• ˌlegerdeˈmainist, noun

Other Words From

• leger·de·mainist noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of legerdemain¹

First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English legerdemeyn, lygarde de mayne “skill in conjuring, sleight of hand,” from Middle French léger de main “nimble, skillful,” literally “light of hand” (unrecorded)

Word History and Origins

Origin of legerdemain¹

C15: from Old French: light of hand

Example Sentences

Today we discuss cliff-hangers, the Founding Fathers and legerdemain.

From Los Angeles Times

That was a cute bit of legerdemain.

From Los Angeles Times

Serious people should know what an older version of antisemitic denialism was all about: a steady stream of factual nitpicks, logical inversions and rhetorical legerdemain meant to obfuscate and deny the greatest crime in history.

From Seattle Times

The filmmakers indulge in some legerdemain, having the real-life participants recount the events as if certain facts were not already in the open at the time of the interviews.

From New York Times

Which name do you call a professional who practices legerdemain?

From Slate