- something that you do to make somebody believe something that is not true, or to annoy somebody as a joke
- They had to think of a trick to get past the guards.
- The kids are always playing tricks on their teacher.
Extra Examples- She won't fall for such a stupid trick.
- Very few camera tricks are employed.
- These rhetorical tricks are common in political speeches.
- the kinds of accounting tricks that get CEOs into trouble
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- cheap
- cruel
- dirty
- …
- play
- pull
- try
- …
- work
- question
- a trick of the light
- a trick or two
- every trick in the book
- …
- something that confuses you so that you see, understand, remember, etc. things in the wrong way
- One of the problems of old age is that your memory can start to play tricks on you.
- Was there somebody standing there or was it a trick of the light?
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- cheap
- cruel
- dirty
- …
- play
- pull
- try
- …
- work
- question
- a trick of the light
- a trick or two
- every trick in the book
- …
- a clever action that somebody/something performs as a way of entertaining people
- He amused the kids with conjuring tricks.
- a magic trick
- a card trick
- You had me fooled there! Where did you learn that trick?
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- clever
- difficult
- simple
- …
- do
- employ
- perform
- …
- work
- photography
- (you can’t) teach an old dog new tricks
- [usually singular] a way of doing something that works well; a good method
- The trick is to pick the animal up by the back of its neck.
- He used the old trick of attacking in order to defend himself.
Extra Examples- Another neat trick is to add lemon peel to the water.
- He's learned a trick or two in his time working in the tax office.
- The real trick is predicting the market two years down the line.
- The trick is to keep your body still and your arms relaxed.
- There's no trick to it—you just need lots of practice.
- a trick for getting out red wine stains
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- clever
- difficult
- simple
- …
- do
- employ
- perform
- …
- work
- photography
- (you can’t) teach an old dog new tricks
- the cards that you play or win in a single part of a card game
- I won six tricks in a row.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- clever
- difficult
- simple
- …
- do
- employ
- perform
- …
- work
- photography
- (you can’t) teach an old dog new tricks
something to cheat somebody
something confusing
entertainment
good method
in card games
Word Originlate Middle English (as a noun): from an Old French dialect variant of triche, from trichier ‘deceive’, of unknown origin. Current senses of the verb date from the mid 16th cent.
Idioms
See trick in the Oxford Advanced American Dictionarya bag/box of tricks
- (informal) a set of methods or equipment that somebody can use
- Hotel managers are using a whole new bag of tricks to attract their guests.
be up to your (old) tricks
- (informal, disapproving) to be behaving in the same bad way as before
- He had soon spent all the money and was up to his old tricks.
do the trick
- (informal) to succeed in solving a problem or achieving a particular result
- I don't know what it was that did the trick, but I am definitely feeling much better.
every trick in the book
- every available method, whether it is honest or not
- He'll try every trick in the book to stop you from winning.
have a trick, some more tricks, etc. up your sleeve
- to have an idea, some plans, etc. that you keep ready to use if it becomes necessary
- I have a few tricks up my sleeve.
he, she, etc. doesn’t miss a trick
- (informal) used to say that somebody notices every opportunity to gain an advantage
(you can’t) teach an old dog new tricks
- (saying) (you cannot) successfully make people change their ideas, methods of work, etc., when they have had them for a long time
trick or treat
- said by children who visit people’s houses at Halloween and threaten to play tricks on people who do not give them sweets
the tricks of the trade
- the clever ways of doing things, known and used by people who do a particular job or activity
turn a trick
- (North American English, slang) to have sex with somebody for money
Check pronunciation:
trick