trick (trĭk) n.
To cheat or deceive or to practice trickery or deception. adj.
trick out/up Informal To ornament or adorn, often garishly: was all tricked out in beads and fringe. Idiom(s): do/turn the trickTo bring about the desired result. Idiom(s): how's tricks Informal Used to make a friendly inquiry about a person or that person's affairs. Idiom(s): not miss a trickTo be extremely alert: The teacher was known for not missing a trick. [Middle English trik, from Old North French trique, from trikier, to deceive, probably from Vulgar Latin *triccāre, from Latin trīcārī, to play tricks, from trīcae, tricks.] trick'er n. |
not miss a trick
Also, never miss a trick; not miss much. Not fail to be aware of what is going on. For example, When it comes to the commodities market, Mark never misses a trick, or Dad may seem absentminded, but he doesn't miss much. The first phrase dates from the early 1900s; the variant employs miss in the sense of "fail to perceive," a usage dating from the late 1600s.