Sleight

Sleight
Sleight Sleight, n. [OE. sleighte, sleihte, sleithe, Icel. sl?g? (for sl?g?) slyness, cunning, fr. sl?gr (for sl?gr) sly, cunning. See {Sly}.] 1. Cunning; craft; artful practice. [Obs.] ``His sleight and his covin.'' --Chaucer. [1913 Webster]

2. An artful trick; sly artifice; a feat so dexterous that the manner of performance escapes observation. [1913 Webster]

The world hath many subtle sleights. --Latimer. [1913 Webster]

3. Dexterous practice; dexterity; skill. --Chaucer. ``The juggler's sleight.'' --Hudibras. [1913 Webster]

{Sleight of hand}, legerdemain; prestidigitation. [1913 Webster]


The Collaborative International Dictionary of English. 2000.

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  • Sleight — is a surname, and may refer to:* George Sleight (1853 1921), English trawler owner * Karl J. Sleight (born 1962), attorneyee also* Sleight of hand * Slight …   Wikipedia

  • sleight — ► NOUN literary ▪ the use of dexterity or cunning, especially so as to deceive. ● sleight of hand Cf. ↑sleight of hand ORIGIN from Old Norse, sly …   English terms dictionary

  • sleight — (n.) cunning, late 13c., from O.N. sloegð cleverness, cunning, slyness, from sloegr (see SLY (Cf. sly)). Term sleight of hand is attested from c.1400 …   Etymology dictionary

  • sleight — as in sleight of hand, is pronounced like slight. It is the noun equivalent of the adjective sly, as height is of high …   Modern English usage

  • sleight — index false pretense, imposture, maneuver (trick) Burton s Legal Thesaurus. William C. Burton. 2006 …   Law dictionary

  • sleight — [slīt] n. [ME < ON slœgth < slœgr, crafty, clever: see SLY] 1. cunning or craft used in deceiving 2. skill or dexterity …   English World dictionary

  • Sleight — This unusual and interesting surname is of early medieval English origin, and has two distinct possible sources, each with its own history and derivation. Firstly, Sleight may be an example of that sizeable group of early European surnames that… …   Surnames reference

  • sleight — Synonyms and related words: adroitness, art, artful dodge, artifice, bag of tricks, blind, bluff, bosey, catch, chicane, chicanery, chouse, collusion, connivance, connivery, conspiracy, contrivance, coup, covin, craft, curve, curve ball, cute… …   Moby Thesaurus

  • sleight — [slʌɪt] noun (in phr. sleight of hand) manual dexterity, typically in performing conjuring tricks. ↘skilful deception. Origin ME: sleight from sleghth cunning, skill , from ON slœgth, from slœgr sly …   English new terms dictionary

  • sleight — n. archaic 1 a deceptive trick or device or movement. 2 dexterity. 3 cunning. Phrases and idioms: sleight of hand 1 dexterity esp. in conjuring or fencing. 2 a display of dexterity, esp. a conjuring trick. Etymology: ME sleghth f. ON sloegth f.… …   Useful english dictionary

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