cantrip

[ kahn-trip ]

/ ˈkɑn trɪp /

noun

Chiefly Scot. a magic spell; trick by sorcery.

Chiefly British. artful shamming meant to deceive.

Nearby words

Origin of cantrip

1710–20; apparently dissimilated variant of Old English calcatrippe; see caltrop

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for cantrip

He could not, however, make Lord Cantrip understand the whole truth.
Phineas Finn|Anthony Trollope
That exceedingly intelligent young nobleman Lord Cantrip was in earnest.
Phineas Finn|Anthony Trollope
When the new vicar went to Cantrip he found Church matters in a very primitive state.
Lighter Moments from the Notebook of Bishop Walsham How|Frederick Douglas How
When they had got thus far Lord Cantrip was standing close to the window of the room at Mr. Gresham's elbow.
Phineas Redux|Anthony Trollope

I remember how Cantrip almost cried when he told me you were going to leave him.
Phineas Redux|Anthony Trollope

British Dictionary definitions for cantrip

cantrip

/ (ˈkæntrɪp) Scot /

noun

a magic spell

(often plural) a mischievous trick

adjective

(of an effect) produced by black magic

Word Origin for cantrip

C18: Scottish, of unknown origin

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012