chicane

[shi-keyn, chi-]

See more synonyms for chicane on Thesaurus.com

noun

deception; chicanery.

verb (used with object), chi·caned, chi·can·ing.

to trick by chicanery.
to quibble over; cavil at.

Origin of chicane

1665–75; < French chicane (noun), chicaner (v.), perhaps < Middle Low German schikken to arrange

Related formschi·can·er, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for chicane

chicanery, scam, deceit, stunt, dishonesty, razzle-dazzle, stratagem, guile, machination, duplicity, fraud, deception, trickery, hypocrisy, treachery, lie, illusion, ruse, hoax, trick

Examples from the Web for chicane

Historical Examples of chicane

Then, he says, the 'Demon of Chicane appeared to me in all his hideousness.
The English Utilitarians, Volume I.
Leslie Stephen
He had vowed war in his youth against the 'demon of chicane.'
The English Utilitarians, Volume I.
Leslie Stephen
Under these conditions, can either side score "except for honors or chicane?"
Auction of To-day
Milton C. Work
Roebuck was the keystone of the arch that sustained the structure of chicane.
The Deluge
David Graham Phillips
There had never been any chicane like the chicane she was presently going to commit.
The Early Life and Adventures of Sylvia Scarlett
Compton Mackenzie

British Dictionary definitions for chicane

chicane

noun

a bridge or whist hand without trumps
motor racing a short section of sharp narrow bends formed by barriers placed on a motor-racing circuit to provide an additional test of driving skill
a less common word for chicanery

verb

(tr) to deceive or trick by chicanery
(tr) to quibble about; cavil over
(intr) to use tricks or chicanery

Derived Formschicaner, noun

Word Origin for chicane

C17: from French chicaner to quibble, of obscure 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

Word Origin and History for chicane

in English in various senses, including "act of chicanery" (1670s), "obstacles on a roadway" (1955), also a term in bridge (1880s), apparently all ultimately from an archaic verb chicane "to trick" (1670s), from French chicane (16c.), from chicaner "to pettifog, quibble" (15c., see chicanery).