trick

1 noun (C)

1 DECEIVING SB something you do in order to deceive someone: He pretended to be ill, but it was just a trick . | a clever trick to cheat the authorities

2 dirty/rotten/mean trick an unkind or unfair thing to do: He didn't turn up? What a rotten trick!

3 JOKE something you do to surprise someone and to make other people laugh: I'm getting tired of your silly tricks. | play a trick on sb: The girls were always playing tricks on their teacher.

4 do the trick spoken if something does the trick it solves a problem or provides what is needed to get a good result: A bit more flour should do the trick.

5 CLEVER METHOD a clever way of doing something that works very well: The trick is to bend your knees as you catch the ball. | tricks of the trade (=clever methods used in a particular job): a salesman who knew all the tricks of the trade

6 use every trick in the book to use every clever or dishonest method that you know to achieve what you want: Ed used every trick in the book to get that contract.

7 sb can teach/show you a trick or two informal used to say that someone knows a lot more than you

8 be up to your (old) tricks informal to be doing the same dishonest things that you have often done before: Watch out for Joe, he's up to his old tricks again.

9 MAGIC a skilful set of actions that seem like magic, done to entertain people: We spent the next hour performing card tricks.

10 a trick of the light a strange effect of the light that changes the way things look or makes you see something that is not really there: For a moment I thought you were Duncan, but it was just a trick of the light.

11 CARDS the cards played or won in one part of a game of cards: He won the first three tricks easily.

12 HABIT have a trick of doing sth to have a habit of using a particular expression or of moving your face or body in a particular way: She had this trick of raising her eyebrows at the end of a question.

13 never miss a trick informal to always know exactly what is happening even if it does not concern you: Dave's found out. He never misses a trick, does he?.

14 how's tricks? spoken used to greet someone in a friendly way: Hello Bill! How's tricks?

15 turn a trick AmE slang to have sex with someone for money

—see also: confidence trick, hat­trick 2 verb

1 (T) to deceive someone in order to get something from them or to make them do something: He knew he'd been tricked, but it was too late. | trick sb into doing sth: Clients were tricked into believing their money was being invested. | trick sb out of: The corporation was tricked out of $20 million.

2 be tricked out with/in literary to be decorated with something: a hat tricked out with ribbons

3 adjective

1 trick photography photography that cleverly changes the way things look

2 trick question a question which seems easy to answer but has a hidden difficulty

3 trick knee/ankle etc AmE a joint that is weak and can suddenly cause you problems