sleight of hand
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sleight of hand
Where it comes from
From Middle English slegthe of hande, sleght of hond, equivalent to sleight + of + hand. Compare Old French léger de main (cf. the contemporary French léger de main and the contemporary English legerdemain).
noun sleights of hand · sleight-of-hand · slight of hand
- The required manual dexterity used to perform magic tricks and illusions. A large portion of natural magic and sleight of hand is only the severance of sights and feels that we are accustomed to experience in unison.
-
A performance of such a skill.
Similar: legerdemain, prestidigitation, conjuration, conjuring, dweomercraft, hocus-pocus, illusionism, jugglery, magic, palmistry, prestigiation, sleight of hand
-
Any form of clever or skillful trickery or deception.
"Gave his consent! For his son to marry an actress?"
"Ah, there was a little sleight of hand there. He only knew Miss Roscastle as Miss Eileen O'Rourke, the last representative of a line of Irish kings. […]"
Similar: jugglery, subterfuge, deception, imposition, hype, deceit, dupery, fiddle, fetch, hocus-pocus, legerdemain, list
Translations
Every language
noun skill
| Español | escamoteo, prestidigitación |
|---|---|
| Português | prestidigitação, passe-passe, ilusionismo |
| Français | escamotage, tour de main |
| Deutsch | Fingerfertigkeit |
| Italiano | prestidigitazione |
| Ελληνικά | ταχυδακτυλουργία tachydaktylourgía |
| Русский | ло́вкость рук lóvkostʹ ruk |
noun performance
| Español | escamoteo, juego de manos |
|---|---|
| Português | prestidigitação, passe-passe |
| Français | tour de main, tour de passe-passe |
| Deutsch | Taschenspielertrick |
| Ελληνικά | ταχυδακτυλουργία tachydaktylourgía |
noun skillful deception
| Deutsch | Taschenspielertrick |
|---|
Talk about this word "sleight of hand." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/sleight%20of%20hand. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. sleight of hand. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/sleight%20of%20hand "sleight of hand." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/sleight%20of%20hand.Cite this
@misc{sleight_of_hand_2026,
title = {sleight of hand},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/sleight%20of%20hand},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
