trick

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   a cunning or deceitful action or device

   They played a trick on me.

2. 2
   noun

   an attempt to get you to do something foolish or imprudent

   that offer was a dirty trick

3. 3
   verb

   deceive somebody

   We tricked the teacher into thinking that class would be cancelled next week

4. 4
   noun

   Something designed to fool, dupe, outsmart, mislead or swindle.

   It was just a trick to say that the house was underpriced.

5. 5
   noun

   A single element of a magician's (or any variety entertainer's) act; a magic trick.

   And for my next trick, I will pull a wombat out of a duffel bag.

6. 6
   noun

   An entertaining difficult physical action.

   That's a nice skateboard, but can you do any tricks on it?

7. 7
   noun

   An effective, clever or quick way of doing something.

   tricks of the trade; what's the trick of getting this chair to fold up?

8. 8
   noun

   Mischievous or annoying behavior; a prank.

   the tricks of boys

Etymology

From Middle English trikke, from Old Northern French trique (related to Old French trichier (“to defraud, act dishonestly, conceal, deceive, cheat”); > modern French tricher), itself possibly from Middle High German trechen (“to launch a shot at, play a trick on”), or one of its derivatives (e.g. Middle High German ūftrechen (“to do something to someone, hurt someone”), vertrechen (“to conceal, get over on someone”), zuotrechen (“to obtain falsely or deceitfully, wangle, finagle”), etc.); yet the Old French verb is equally likely to be derived from Vulgar Latin *triccāre, from Late Latin tricā…