Hypertext Webster Gateway: "legerdemain"
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) (web1913)
Legerdemain \Leg`er*de*main"\ (l[e^]j`[~e]r*d[-e]*m[=a]n"), n.
[F. l['e]ger light, nimble + de of + main hand, L. manus. See
3d {Leger}, and {Manual}.]
Sleight of hand; a trick of sleight of hand; hence, any
artful deception or trick.
He of legierdemayne the mysteries did know. --Spenser.
The tricks and legerdemain by which men impose upon
their own souls. --South.
From WordNet (r) 1.7 (wn)
legerdemain
n : an illusory feat; considered magical by naive observers
[syn: {magic trick}, {conjuring trick}, {trick}, {magic},
{illusion}, {deception}]
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