dirty tricks

American  

plural noun

Informal.

1. Politics. unethical or illegal campaign practices or pranks intended to disrupt or sabotage the campaigns of opposing candidates.

2. any similar practices carried out against rival countries or corporations for espionage or commercial purposes.

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dirty tricks Idioms  

1. Undercover or clandestine operations and deceitful stratagems in politics and espionage. For example, This campaign has been dominated by the dirty tricks of both sides. The adjective dirty here is used in the sense of “unethical” or “unfair.” The term originally was applied to covert intelligence operations carried out by the Central Intelligence Agency, whose planning directorate was nicknamed “department of dirty tricks.” It later was extended to underhanded activity intended to undermine political opponents and commercial rivals. [1940s]

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Other Word Forms

• dirty-trickery
  noun
• dirty-tricks
  adjective
• dirty-trickster
  noun

Etymology

Origin of dirty tricks

First recorded in 1970–75

Example Sentences

Author Fabcaro and illustrator Didier Conrad have opted for a classic storytelling blend of fights, dirty tricks, local specialities -- and an encounter with Caesar himself.

From Barron's • Oct. 23, 2025

He deployed dirty tricks against Tiny Rowland, his rival in buying the business, and was even accused of stealing items from his safety deposit box at the store.

From BBC • Sep. 20, 2024

But for all the talk of South Carolina’s penchant for dirty tricks, the state also values the glad hand.

From New York Times • Jan. 26, 2024

“There’s dirty tricks being played all over the place,” Swanson said.

From Seattle Times • Nov. 5, 2023

The dirty tricks of making squared infinitesimals disappear and then dividing by zero to get a derivative were no longer necessary.

From "Zero: The Biography of a Dangerous Idea" by Charles Seife