sleight of hand: meaning, definition, pronunciation and examples
C1Formal/Literary
Quick answer
What does “sleight of hand” mean?
Manual dexterity, especially in performing conjuring tricks.
Audio
Pronunciation
Definition
Meaning and Definition
Manual dexterity, especially in performing conjuring tricks.
Skillful deception or trickery, often using clever manipulation or misdirection.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
No significant differences in meaning or usage. The term is equally recognizable in both dialects.
Connotations
Neutral/slightly negative in both, implying trickery.
Frequency
Moderately low frequency in both, found more in written and formal spoken contexts.
Grammar
How to Use “sleight of hand” in a Sentence
N (be) V-ed by sleight of handV with sleight of handsleight of hand that VVocabulary
Collocations
Usage
Meaning in Context
Business
Used to describe creative accounting or misleading financial presentations.
Academic
Used in rhetoric, philosophy, or political science to critique fallacious arguments.
Everyday
Rare. Might describe a magician's trick or a clever lie.
Technical
Specific term in magic and conjuring for manual trick techniques.
Watch out
Common Mistakes When Using “sleight of hand”
- Misspelling as 'slight of hand'.
- Using it to mean simply 'skill' without the connotation of deception or trickery.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Misspelling 'sleight' as 'slight'.
Rarely. It usually implies deception, even when admiring the skill involved. 'Dexterity' or 'skill' would be the positive alternatives.
It is a fixed noun phrase, usually hyphenated when used attributively (e.g., a sleight-of-hand trick).
From Old Norse 'slœgð', meaning 'cunning, slyness', related to the English word 'sly'.
Manual dexterity, especially in performing conjuring tricks.
Sleight of hand is usually formal/literary in register.
Sleight of hand: in British English it is pronounced /ˌslaɪt əv ˈhænd/, and in American English it is pronounced /ˌslaɪt əv ˈhænd/. Tap the audio buttons above to hear it.
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “More sleight of hand than substance”
- “A feat of intellectual sleight of hand”
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Think: 'SLEIGHT' sounds like 'SLY' + 'might' – a sly person might use trickery or sleight of hand.
Conceptual Metaphor
DECEPTION IS A PHYSICAL TRICK
Practice
Quiz
In which context is 'sleight of hand' used most literally?