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dirty tricks - 3 dictionary results

dirty tricks

 
Use dirty tricks in a Sentence
–noun Informal.
1. Politics. unethical or illegal campaign practices or pranks intended to disrupt or sabotage the campaigns of opposing candidates.
2. any similar practices carried out against rival countries or corporations for espionage or commercial purposes.
Origin:
1970–75

Related forms:
dirt⋅y-trick⋅er⋅y  [dur-tee-trik-uh-ree] , noun
dirty-tricks, adjective
dirt⋅y-trick⋅ster  [dur-tee-trik-ster] , noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To dirty tricks
dirty tricks  
pl.n.   Informal
  1. Covert intelligence operations designed to disrupt the economy or upset the political situation in another country.
  2. Unethical behavior, especially acts undertaken to destroy the credibility or reputation of an opponent.
  3. Commercial espionage.
dirty trickster n.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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dirty tricks

Undercover or clandestine operations and deceitful stratagems in politics and espionage. For example, This campaign has been dominated by the dirty tricks of both sides. The adjective dirty here is used in the sense of "unethical" or "unfair." The term originally was applied to covert intelligence operations carried out by the Central Intelligence Agency, whose planning directorate was nicknamed "department of dirty tricks." It later was extended to underhanded activity intended to undermine political opponents and commercial rivals. [1940s]

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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