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| n. 1. a. An act or procedure intended to achieve an end by deceptive or fraudulent means. See Synonyms at wile. b. A mischievous action; a prank: likes to play tricks on the other students in the dorm. c. A stupid, disgraceful, or childish act: Don't let the kids pull any tricks while we're gone. 2. a. A peculiar trait or characteristic; a mannerism: “Mimicry is the trick by which a moth or other defenseless insect comes to look like a wasp” (Marston Bates). b. A peculiar event with unexpected, often deceptive results: “One of history's cruelest tricks is to take words that sounded good at the time and make them sound pretty stupid” (David Owen). c. A deceptive or illusive appearance; an illusion: This painting plays tricks on the eyes. 3. a. A special skill; a knack: Is there a trick to getting this window to stay up? b. A convention or specialized skill peculiar to a particular field of activity: learned the tricks of the winemaking trade. 4. a. A feat of magic or legerdemain. b. A difficult, dexterous, or clever act designed to amuse: Does your dog do any tricks? 5. Games a. All the cards played in a single round, one from each player. b. One such round. 6. a. A period or turn of duty, as at the helm of a ship. b. Slang A prison term. 7. Slang a. An act of prostitution. b. A prostitute's customer. c. A session carried out by a prostitute with a client. 8. Slang A robbery or theft. tr. & intr.v. tricked, trick·ing, tricks To cheat or deceive or to practice trickery or deception. adj. Phrasal Verb: 1. Of, relating to, or involving tricks. 2. Capable of performing tricks: a trick dog. 3. Designed or made for doing a trick or tricks: trick cards; trick dice. 4. Weak, defective, or liable to fail: a trick knee. trick out (or up) Informal Idioms: To ornament or adorn, often garishly: was all tricked out in beads and fringe. do (or turn)the trick To bring about the desired result. how's tricks Informal Used to make a friendly inquiry about a person or that person's affairs. not miss a trick To be extremely alert: The teacher was known for not missing a trick. [Middle English trik, from Old North French trique, from trikier, to deceive, from Vulgar Latin *triccāre, expressive variant of Latin trīcārī, to play tricks, from trīcae, trifles, vexations, tricks, of unknown origin.] tricker n. |
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