do the trick

Slang Dictionary

do the trick definition


  1. tv.
    to do exactly what is needed. : Does this little tool do the trick?
Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
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American Heritage
Idioms & Phrases

do the trick

Also, turn the trick. Bring about a desired result, succeed. For example, One more turn with the wrench should do the trick, or Bill wanted to finish all the errands in one day but he couldn't quite turn the trick. The first expression dates from the early 1800s; the variant, from the first half of the 1900s; should not be confused with turn a trick.

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