noun
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another name for sleight of hand
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cunning deception or trickery
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of legerdemain
First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English legerdemeyn, lygarde de mayne “skill in conjuring, sleight of hand,” from Middle French léger de main “nimble, skillful,” literally “light of hand” (unrecorded)
Explanation
When a magician waves his hands over a hat and pulls out a rabbit, he is performing an act of legerdemain or trickery. Legerdemain can be used literally to describe a magic trick, or figuratively to describe some other kind of trickery or deceit. If you and some friends cook up a scheme that involves telling complicated lies so that you can stay out all night, you are guilty of legerdemain. The word comes from the French léger de main which means dexterous, or light of hand.
Vocabulary lists containing legerdemain
300 Most Difficult "SAT" Words
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The Pearl
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Mr. Barnes uses his neatly attired Englishness as camouflage for narrative experimentation and legerdemain.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 16, 2026
With that bit of legerdemain, AB 1058 died, AB 1493 was born, and the auto industry’s campaign crashed.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 7, 2025
Which name do you call a professional who practices legerdemain?
From Slate ● Jan. 22, 2024
Landrieu, however, defends at least some of this semantic legerdemain.
From Washington Post ● Jun. 15, 2022
It is a branch of legerdemain, but it has to be closely studied to gain perfection.
From "American Spirits" by Barb Rosenstock
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
