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Dai Vernon, the greatest sleight of hand figure in the history of the art, rarely performed. But he invented magic and had an enormous influence on the whole range of sleight of hand. And so often, the magic he was doing was to fool other magicians.
Ricky Jay

Meaning of "sleight of hand" in the English dictionary

Dictionary
DICTIONARY
section

PRONUNCIATION OF SLEIGHT OF HAND

sleight of hand play
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GRAMMATICAL CATEGORY OF SLEIGHT OF HAND

noun
adjective
verb
adverb
pronoun
preposition
conjunction
determiner
exclamation
Sleight of hand is a noun.
A noun is a type of word the meaning of which determines reality. Nouns provide the names for all things: people, objects, sensations, feelings, etc.

WHAT DOES SLEIGHT OF HAND MEAN IN ENGLISH?

Sleight of hand

Sleight of hand, also known as prestidigitation or legerdemain, is the set of techniques used by a magician to manipulate objects such as cards and coins secretly. Sleight of hand is not a separate branch of magic, but rather one of the means used by a magician to produce an effect. It can be contrasted with the flourish, where the magician intentionally displays skills, such as the ability to cut cards one-handed, which is akin to juggling. Advanced sleight of hand requires months or years of practice before it can be performed proficiently in front of spectators. Sleight of hand is mostly employed in close-up magic, but it can also be used in stage magic. There are hundreds of different sleights at the performer's disposal, but they can generally be classified into groups such as switches, changes, and others. There are several stories about magicians using sleight of hand in real life, such as when American illusionist David Copperfield said he used sleight of hand to fool a mugger into thinking he had nothing in his pockets while carrying a cellphone, passport and wallet.

Definition of sleight of hand in the English dictionary

The definition of sleight of hand in the dictionary is manual dexterity used in performing conjuring tricks. Other definition of sleight of hand is the performance of such tricks.

WORDS THAT BEGIN LIKE SLEIGHT OF HAND

sleevelike
sleever
sleeving
sleezy
sleigh
sleigh bed
sleigh bell
sleigh ride
sleigher
sleight
slender
slender-tailed meerkat
slenderise
slenderize
slenderly
slenderness
slenter
slept
Slesvig
sleuth

WORDS THAT END LIKE SLEIGHT OF HAND

a free hand
a heavy hand
at first hand
at hand
at second hand
by hand
come to hand
first hand
from hand to hand
hand
hand in hand
hat in hand
helping hand
in hand
on hand
out of hand
second hand
take in hand
the upper hand
to hand
upper hand

Synonyms and antonyms of sleight of hand in the English dictionary of synonyms

SYNONYMS

SYNONYMS OF «SLEIGHT OF HAND»

The following words have a similar or identical meaning as «sleight of hand» and belong to the same grammatical category.
synonyms of sleight of hand

Translation of «sleight of hand» into 25 languages

TRANSLATOR
online translator

TRANSLATION OF SLEIGHT OF HAND

Find out the translation of sleight of hand to 25 languages with our English multilingual translator.
The translations of sleight of hand from English to other languages presented in this section have been obtained through automatic statistical translation; where the essential translation unit is the word «sleight of hand» in English.

Translator English - Chinese

戏法
1,325 millions of speakers

Translator English - Spanish

juego de manos
570 millions of speakers

English

sleight of hand
510 millions of speakers

Translator English - Hindi

हाथ की सफाई
380 millions of speakers
ar

Translator English - Arabic

خفة اليد
280 millions of speakers

Translator English - Russian

ловкость рук
278 millions of speakers

Translator English - Portuguese

prestidigitação
270 millions of speakers

Translator English - Bengali

ভোজবাজি
260 millions of speakers

Translator English - French

dextérité
220 millions of speakers

Translator English - Malay

Lengan tangan
190 millions of speakers

Translator English - German

Taschenspielerei
180 millions of speakers

Translator English - Japanese

手品
130 millions of speakers

Translator English - Korean

손의 속임수
85 millions of speakers

Translator English - Javanese

Sleight of hand
85 millions of speakers
vi

Translator English - Vietnamese

trò ảo thuật của bàn tay
80 millions of speakers

Translator English - Tamil

கை சாதுரியம்
75 millions of speakers

Translator English - Marathi

हातचलाखी
75 millions of speakers

Translator English - Turkish

el çabukluğu
70 millions of speakers

Translator English - Italian

gioco di prestigio
65 millions of speakers

Translator English - Polish

kuglarstwo
50 millions of speakers

Translator English - Ukrainian

спритність рук
40 millions of speakers

Translator English - Romanian

scamatorie
30 millions of speakers
el

Translator English - Greek

ταχυδακτυλουργία
15 millions of speakers
af

Translator English - Afrikaans

bedrieëry van die hand
14 millions of speakers
sv

Translator English - Swedish

fingerfärdighet
10 millions of speakers
no

Translator English - Norwegian

fingerferdighet
5 millions of speakers

Trends of use of sleight of hand

TRENDS

TENDENCIES OF USE OF THE TERM «SLEIGHT OF HAND»

The term «sleight of hand» is regularly used and occupies the 79.327 position in our list of most widely used terms in the English dictionary.
0
100%
FREQUENCY
Regularly used
63
/100
The map shown above gives the frequency of use of the term «sleight of hand» in the different countries.
Principal search tendencies and common uses of sleight of hand
List of principal searches undertaken by users to access our English online dictionary and most widely used expressions with the word «sleight of hand».

FREQUENCY OF USE OF THE TERM «SLEIGHT OF HAND» OVER TIME

The graph expresses the annual evolution of the frequency of use of the word «sleight of hand» during the past 500 years. Its implementation is based on analysing how often the term «sleight of hand» appears in digitalised printed sources in English between the year 1500 and the present day.

Examples of use in the English literature, quotes and news about sleight of hand

EXAMPLES

3 QUOTES WITH «SLEIGHT OF HAND»

Famous quotes and sentences with the word sleight of hand.
1
Steve Buscemi
Growing up, yeah, I had a magic kit with learn tricks and learn card tricks, but I was never... I used to watch whatever magic special was on as a kid, but then, it's not that I lost interest, but to be a magician, you really, it's really hard work. Learning lines is hard enough; learning sleight of hand, that's real practice.
2
Ricky Jay
Dai Vernon, the greatest sleight of hand figure in the history of the art, rarely performed. But he invented magic and had an enormous influence on the whole range of sleight of hand. And so often, the magic he was doing was to fool other magicians.
3
Rich Sommer
I can juggle, not well... I can balance a broom on my chin. I can do very simple carny tricks, a little sleight of hand with cards and coins.

10 ENGLISH BOOKS RELATING TO «SLEIGHT OF HAND»

Discover the use of sleight of hand in the following bibliographical selection. Books relating to sleight of hand and brief extracts from same to provide context of its use in English literature.
1
Sleight of Hand: A Novel of Suspense
Tenacious investigator Dana Cutler must take down a charismatic and diabolical lawyer before he can pull off the perfect crime in this powerhouse thriller from New York Times bestselling author Phillip Margolin.
Phillip Margolin, 2013
2
Sleight of Hand
Covers every significant aspect — from palming to clairvoyance, vanishing and producing an object, using essential apparatus, etc.
Edwin Sachs, 2012
3
Sleight of Hand: Las Vegas
Join Ed Deline, president of operations for the Montecito Resort & Casino, and his protégé, Danny McCoy, a former U.S. Marine and Las Vegas native, as they deal with card-counting cheaters, costly streaks of random luck, and rival casinos ...
Jeff Mariotte, 2007
4
Sleight of Hand
Collects a series of imaginative fantasy tales including a battle between author and a dragon, a story featuring the children of a Shark God and a bereaved women who sacrifices herself to change one terrible moment.
Peter S. Beagle, 2011
5
Sleight of Hand
What if the man of your dreams is also the one of your nightmares?
Katrina Strauss, 2008
6
Sleight of Hand
Getting by with sleight of hand and other quick-fingered magic tricks, Autumn has no memory of her life before the age of 17. In the years since only a medieval choral chant has stirred her memory. Life's shadows reach for her.
Laura Adams, Karin Kallmaker, 2001
7
Sleight of Hand (A Barbara Holloway Novel - Book 3)
Kate Wilhelm. standing open, and both cats had followed him out. “Get back inside, you devils,” he said in a rough, rasping voice. They strolled back in. He went in and closed the door. “She'll be back,” hesaidin thesame harsh voice. The cats ...
Kate Wilhelm, 2014
8
Simple Sleight-of-hand: Card and Coin Tricks for the ...
Presents step-by-step instructions for thirteen card and coin tricks.
Paul Zenon, 2007
9
Now You See It, Now You Don't!: Lessons in Sleight of Hand
Step-by-step instructions for sleight of hand tricks using cards, coins, balls, and other common items.
Bill Tarr, William Tarr, 1976
10
Sleight of Hand: A Jo Banks Mystery
Robin Hathaway rewards her readers with another rich story of the lives of people who live and work in the New Jersey farmland. Sleight of Hand is a worthy addition to this finely crafted series.
Robin Hathaway, 2008

10 NEWS ITEMS WHICH INCLUDE THE TERM «SLEIGHT OF HAND»

Find out what the national and international press are talking about and how the term sleight of hand is used in the context of the following news items.
1
Christie's sleight of hand on pension payments | Opinion
By Edward Buttimore. According to the Office of Legislative Services, beginning in July 2013 the Christie administration diverted the increased public employee ... «NJ.com, Jul 15»
2
Government's new emission target uses sleight of hand to impress
By this accounting sleight of hand the government has already managed to gain a 9% lift in emissions against which to make any emission reduction target ... «Business Spectator, Jun 15»
3
Do you believe in magic? How European sleight of hand will make …
Martin Jones does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has ... «The Conversation UK, Jun 15»
4
Magician shows off astounding sleight of hand
Magician shows off astounding sleight of hand. How did he do that?! Magician Andrew Kelly's 'simple' four-card trick video leaves viewers baffled and amazed ... «Telegraph.co.uk, Jun 15»
5
Architectural sleight of hand in Washington's Kalorama neighborhood
Passersby at 2012 and 2014 Kalorama Rd. NW couldn't be blamed if they assume they are seeing two renovated single-family houses, each with a restored ... «Washington Post, May 15»
6
Japan accused of 'sleight of hand' in climate targets
But observers accused the world's fifth largest emitter of “sleight of hand” in choosing the baseline year to make weak plans look better. Japan is using the ... «RTCC, May 15»
7
Government sleight of hand sours local budget positives
SOURING SLEIGHT OF HAND: Treasurer Dave Tollner and Member for Katherine Willem Westra van Holthe outline what the 2015-16 budget means for ... «Katherine Times, Apr 15»
8
Joe Oliver's promises-kept budget. Ignore the sleight of hand
If there's one theme coming out of Tuesday's federal budget it's this — the Conservatives are more interested in telling Canadians what they've already done for ... «CBC.ca, Apr 15»
9
Swords, Sleight of Hand and a Speaking Mummy
From Dark Arts to Sleight of Hand in Early 20th Century Stage Magic.” It opens on Saturday. The show will include about 150 posters, artworks, props, ... «New York Times, Apr 15»
10
Justin Willman Mixes Magic, Technology In 'Sleight Of Mouth …
It's “just a classic sleight of hand trick,” he said. “But there's something about using technology just to the point where you understand it and then using it against ... «iDigitalTimes.com, Apr 15»

REFERENCE
« EDUCALINGO. Sleight of hand [online]. Available <https://educalingo.com/en/dic-en/sleight-of-hand>. Apr 2024 ».
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