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What sort of sap doesn't know by now that picture-perfect beauty is all done with smoke and mirrors anyway?
Julie Burchill

Meaning of "smoke and mirrors" in the English dictionary

Dictionary
DICTIONARY
section

ETYMOLOGY OF THE WORD SMOKE AND MIRRORS

Reference to the use of smoke and mirrors in conjuring illusions.
info
Etymology is the study of the origin of words and their changes in structure and significance.
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PRONUNCIATION OF SMOKE AND MIRRORS

smoke and mirrors play
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GRAMMATICAL CATEGORY OF SMOKE AND MIRRORS

noun
adjective
verb
adverb
pronoun
preposition
conjunction
determiner
exclamation
Smoke and mirrors 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 SMOKE AND MIRRORS MEAN IN ENGLISH?

Smoke and mirrors

Smoke and mirrors is a metaphor for a deceptive, fraudulent or insubstantial explanation or description. The source of the name is based on magicians' illusions, where magicians make objects appear or disappear by extending or retracting mirrors amid a distracting burst of smoke. The expression may have a connotation of virtuosity or cleverness in carrying out such a deception. In the field of computer programming, it is used to describe a program or functionality that does not yet exist, but appears as though it does. This is often done to demonstrate what a resulting project will function/look like after the code is complete — at a trade show, for example. More generally, "smoke and mirrors" may refer to any sort of presentation by which the audience is intended to be deceived, such as an attempt to fool a prospective client into thinking that one has capabilities necessary to deliver a product in question. Compare red herring.

Definition of smoke and mirrors in the English dictionary

The definition of smoke and mirrors in the dictionary is irrelevant or misleading information serving to obscure the truth of a situation.

WORDS THAT BEGIN LIKE SMOKE AND MIRRORS

smoke
smoke alarm
smoke bomb
smoke detector
smoke inhalation
smoke out
smoke pollution
smoke ring
smoke room
smoke screen
smoke shop
smoke signal
smoke tree
smoke-dried
smoke-dry
smoke-filled room
smoke-free
smokeable
smokeboard
smokebush

WORDS THAT END LIKE SMOKE AND MIRRORS

anchors
board of directors
Bors
Chamber of Horrors
Connors
Doors
favors
French doors
honors
horrors
indoors
majors
Mors
night terrors
out of doors
out-of-doors
outdoors
pair of scissors
scissors
Syllabus of Errors

Synonyms and antonyms of smoke and mirrors in the English dictionary of synonyms

SYNONYMS

Translation of «smoke and mirrors» into 25 languages

TRANSLATOR
online translator

TRANSLATION OF SMOKE AND MIRRORS

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

Translator English - Chinese

雾里看花
1,325 millions of speakers

Translator English - Spanish

humo y espejos
570 millions of speakers

English

smoke and mirrors
510 millions of speakers

Translator English - Hindi

धुआं और दर्पण
380 millions of speakers
ar

Translator English - Arabic

الدخان والمرايا
280 millions of speakers

Translator English - Russian

дым и зеркала
278 millions of speakers

Translator English - Portuguese

fumaça e espelhos
270 millions of speakers

Translator English - Bengali

ধোঁয়া এবং আয়না
260 millions of speakers

Translator English - French

fumée et des miroirs
220 millions of speakers

Translator English - Malay

asap dan cermin
190 millions of speakers

Translator English - German

Rauch und Spiegel
180 millions of speakers

Translator English - Japanese

煙と鏡
130 millions of speakers

Translator English - Korean

연기 와 거울
85 millions of speakers

Translator English - Javanese

Kumelun lan cermin
85 millions of speakers
vi

Translator English - Vietnamese

khói và gương
80 millions of speakers

Translator English - Tamil

புகையும் கண்ணாடிகளும்
75 millions of speakers

Translator English - Marathi

धूर आणि मिरर
75 millions of speakers

Translator English - Turkish

duman ve aynalar
70 millions of speakers

Translator English - Italian

fumo e specchi
65 millions of speakers

Translator English - Polish

Dym i lustra
50 millions of speakers

Translator English - Ukrainian

дим і дзеркала
40 millions of speakers

Translator English - Romanian

fum și oglinzi
30 millions of speakers
el

Translator English - Greek

καπνός και καθρέφτες
15 millions of speakers
af

Translator English - Afrikaans

rook en spieëls
14 millions of speakers
sv

Translator English - Swedish

rök och speglar
10 millions of speakers
no

Translator English - Norwegian

røyk og speil
5 millions of speakers

Trends of use of smoke and mirrors

TRENDS

TENDENCIES OF USE OF THE TERM «SMOKE AND MIRRORS»

The term «smoke and mirrors» is regularly used and occupies the 57.099 position in our list of most widely used terms in the English dictionary.
0
100%
FREQUENCY
Regularly used
74
/100
The map shown above gives the frequency of use of the term «smoke and mirrors» in the different countries.
Principal search tendencies and common uses of smoke and mirrors
List of principal searches undertaken by users to access our English online dictionary and most widely used expressions with the word «smoke and mirrors».

FREQUENCY OF USE OF THE TERM «SMOKE AND MIRRORS» OVER TIME

The graph expresses the annual evolution of the frequency of use of the word «smoke and mirrors» during the past 500 years. Its implementation is based on analysing how often the term «smoke and mirrors» 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 smoke and mirrors

EXAMPLES

5 QUOTES WITH «SMOKE AND MIRRORS»

Famous quotes and sentences with the word smoke and mirrors.
1
Scott Adkins
I personally think a fight scene is the most cinematic thing you can witness because all the elements of filmmaking come together, you know, with the camera speed changes, editing, make up effects and general smoke and mirrors of trying to make it look like you are hitting someone when you're not. It's filmmaking in it's purest form, I think.
2
Julie Burchill
What sort of sap doesn't know by now that picture-perfect beauty is all done with smoke and mirrors anyway?
3
Noel Gallagher
If everyone in the music business were brutally honest about what their intentions were then you could sort things out, but it's all smoke and mirrors.
4
Erin Morgenstern
I liked the idea of having actual magic performed as stage magic, so you could assume that it was just a trick, that something is all smoke and mirrors, but there's that, like, feeling at the back of your mind: What if it's not?
5
Mark Ruffalo
The true value of somebody in this town is very hard to determine. It's all smoke and mirrors.

10 ENGLISH BOOKS RELATING TO «SMOKE AND MIRRORS»

Discover the use of smoke and mirrors in the following bibliographical selection. Books relating to smoke and mirrors and brief extracts from same to provide context of its use in English literature.
1
Smoke and Mirrors: The War on Drugs and the Politics of Failure
Argues that despite increasing levels of government action, illicit drugs are more readily available than ever, and analyzes the failure of U.S. drug policy
Dan Baum, 1997
2
Smoke and Mirrors
These tales and much more await in this extraordinary book, revealing one of our most gifted storytellers at the height of his powers. Includes extra material exclusive to this Headline Review edition.
Neil Gaiman, 2010
3
Beyond Smoke and Mirrors: Climate Change and Energy in the ...
This book assesses the sensible, senseless and biased proposals for averting the potentially disastrous consequences of global warming, allowing the reader to draw their own conclusions on switching to more sustainable energy provision.
Burton Richter, 2010
4
Muscle, Smoke and Mirrors
The research for this extensive, two volume project. represents a comprehensive effort to establish a complete context from which the sport of bodybuilding arose.
Randy Roach, 2011
5
Land of Smoke and Mirrors: A Cultural History of Los Angeles
Divided into sections that probe Los Angeles’s checkered history and reflect on Hollywood’s own self-reflections, the book shows how the city, despite considerable remaining challenges, is finally blowing away some of the smoke of its ...
Vincent Brook, 2013
6
Blue smoke and mirrors: how Reagan won and why Carter lost ...
Discusses the 1980 presidential election, examining campaign strategies and masterminds, political maneuvers, sophisticated media technology, primaries, issues and platforms, and more
Jack Germond, Jules Witcover, 1981
7
Smoke and Mirrors: The Politics and Culture of Air Pollution
The book also compellingly argues that the work experience of slaves shaped their views of the natural world.
Erna Melanie DuPuis, 2004
8
Smoke and Mirrors: The Magical World of Chemical Dependency
Written by dependency counselor Dorothy Marie England, a recovering dependency sufferer herself, Smoke and Mirrors exposes the unreal world in which the dependent person lives and the tricks used to deceive self and others.
Dorothy Marie England, 1995
9
Smoke and Mirrors
Sixteen-year-old Simon has always been considered odd.
Lesley Choyce, 2004
10
Smoke and Mirrors: An Experience of China
As she compares it with India’sexperience of development, Pallavi Aiyar provides a perceptive analysis of thestrengths and weaknesses of the process in both countries.An intimate look at a society undergoing relentless change, Smoke and ...
Pallavi Aiyar, 2012

10 NEWS ITEMS WHICH INCLUDE THE TERM «SMOKE AND MIRRORS»

Find out what the national and international press are talking about and how the term smoke and mirrors is used in the context of the following news items.
1
No smoke and mirrors: Phoenix officially gets first smoke-free park
Students with the STAND Youth Coalition fought for the park near 75th and Osborn to become non-smoking, which eventually led to the Phoenix Parks and ... «KTAR.com, Jul 15»
2
Group calls Olympic spending ban 'smoke and mirrors'
FILE - In this Jan. 21, 2015 file photo, shadows of organizers and reporters pass a video display screen prior to a news conference by organizers of Boston's ... «NEWS10 ABC, Jul 15»
3
Imagine Dragons is more than smoke and mirrors at Consol
Now, on the "Smoke + Mirrors" tour, there'd be room on stage for a truck-full of kettle drums, plus the truck. The Las Vegas band returned Friday night to headline ... «Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Jun 15»
4
Gene Frenette: No smoke and mirrors at UNF: Laval can coach
Few college baseball coaches enjoy sarcasm more than the University of North Florida's Smoke Laval. He throws out one-liners on a whim, often in the middle of ... «Florida Times-Union, May 15»
5
'Smoke and Mirrors' adds Bethany Joy Lenz
TV Line exclusively reports that Bethany Joy Lenz has joined the upcoming ABC drama Smoke and Mirrors. Lenz has been cast as a series regular role in ... «Hidden Remote, Mar 15»
6
'Smoke and mirrors' is what got Pa. in financial shape it's in; Wolf's …
Steve Bloom's claim that Wolf's budget is a "lot of smoke, mirrors and confusion," Sheridan said it was the use of those tactics that created "the dire financial ... «PennLive.com, Mar 15»
7
Imagine Dragons new album is just 'Smoke and Mirrors'
17 release, “Smoke and Mirrors,” is being touted as innovative and edgy but beneath the surface gloss of change it's following the same anthem pattern and ... «The Breeze, Mar 15»
8
Review: Imagine Dragons Keep The Momentum Rolling On 'Smoke
Sophomore album Smoke and Mirrors rightfully arrives with 'larger than life' anticipation, and for Imagine Dragons' efforts, for the most part, album two does well ... «Starpulse.com, Feb 15»
9
1/30: Imagine Dragons on 'Smoke and Mirrors,' Super Fan Festival
At least not while he and his bandmates were actually working on the album, "Smoke and Mirrors," which is due to hit the streets on Tuesday, Feb. 17. «azcentral.com, Jan 15»
10
Firefighter uses smoke and mirrors in proposal to police officer …
When Olga arrived to the fake scene, Jesse came walking out of the smoke, got down onto one knee, and popped the question. She was shocked, totally ... «KTRK-TV, Jun 14»

REFERENCE
« EDUCALINGO. Smoke and mirrors [online]. Available <https://educalingo.com/en/dic-en/smoke-and-mirrors>. Apr 2024 ».
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