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chicanery

American  
[shi-key-nuh-ree, chi-] / ʃɪˈkeɪ nə ri, tʃɪ- /

noun

plural

chicaneries

  1. trickery or deception by quibbling or sophistry.

    He resorted to the worst flattery and chicanery to win the job.
    Synonyms:
    knavery, deception, fraud

  2. a quibble or subterfuge used to trick, deceive, or evade.

    Synonyms:
    evasion
chicanery British  
/ ʃɪˈkeɪnərɪ /

noun

  1. verbal deception or trickery, esp in legal quibbling; dishonest or sharp practice

  2. a trick, deception, or quibble

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of chicanery

From the French word chicanerie, dating back to 1605–15. See chicane, -ery

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.