chicane
[shi-keyn, chi-]
- deception; chicanery.
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- to trick by chicanery.
- to quibble over; cavil at.
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Origin of chicane
1665–75; < French chicane (noun), chicaner (v.), perhaps < Middle Low German schikken to arrange
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for chicane
Historical Examples
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-dayMilton C. Work
Roebuck was the keystone of the arch that sustained the structure of chicane.
The DelugeDavid Graham Phillips
There had never been any chicane like the chicane she was presently going to commit.
The Early Life and Adventures of Sylvia ScarlettCompton Mackenzie
chicane
- 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
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- (tr) to deceive or trick by chicanery
- (tr) to quibble about; cavil over
- (intr) to use tricks or chicanery
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Word Origin
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
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Word Origin and History for chicane
n.
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).
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper