sleight of hand

noun

skill in feats requiring quick and clever movements of the hands, especially for entertainment or deception, as jugglery, card or coin magic, etc.; legerdemain.

the performance of such feats.

a feat of legerdemain.

skill in deception.

Origin:
1350–1400; Middle English

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Link To sleight of hand

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Sleight of hand is always a great word to know.

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the offspring of a zebra and a donkey.

an extraordinary or unusual thing, person, or event; an exceptional example or instance.

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Collins

World English Dictionary

sleight of hand

—n
1.	manual dexterity used in performing conjuring tricks
2.	the performance of such tricks

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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American Heritage

Idioms & Phrases

sleight of hand

Trickery, deviousness, as in By some sleight of hand they managed to overlook all bonuses. This term alludes to the performance of magic tricks with the hands. Its figurative use dates from about 1700.

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

These programs did not develop out of financially engineered sleight of hand

that failed to account for risk.

But with expert sleight of hand, he is able to find artistic benefits as well.

Phony, sleight of hand false equivalency right there.

There's some sleight of hand with the blackjack and those cameras are so

important to eliminate that sort of thing or cut it down.

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Matching Quote

"Lovers always believe one another's sleight-of-hand tricks."

-Mason Cooley