sleight

[slahyt]

noun

1. skill; dexterity.

2. an artifice; stratagem.

3. cunning; craft.

sleight

/ slaɪt /

noun

1. skill; dexterity See also sleight of hand

2. a trick or stratagem

3. cunning; trickery

Word History and Origins

Origin of sleight¹

1225–75; Middle English; early Middle English slēgth < Old Norse slǣgth. See sly, -th ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of sleight¹

C14: from Old Norse slægth, from slægr _sly

Example Sentences

The dialogue is naturally digressive, sliding in just as much exposition as needed with a magician’s sleight of hand.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

But that narrative is also a sleight of hand.

Read more on Salon

However, it said approving projects like Rosebank would be a "political sleight of hand" that would benefit oil companies.

Read more on BBC

Fisher: … sleight of hand, misdirection, various different forms of magic.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Alex Mitchell provided the speed at the breakdown to manoeuvre the Clermont defence, while Smith's control and sleight of hand behind him enticed his outside runners to carry hard and breach the gain-line.

Read more on BBC

When To Use

What does sleight mean?

Sleight means skill, especially with one’s hands (dexterity).It can also mean trickery or cunning, or a specific trick or scheme.Sleight is by far most commonly used in the phrase sleight of hand, whose meanings are very similar to those of sleight: manual dexterity, general trickery, or a trick performed with quick and skillful hand movements.Sleight and sleight of hand are especially associated with coin and card tricks that require such hand movements. They’re also associated with deceptive ways of stealing, such as pickpocketing.Sleight should not be confused with the word slight, which has the same pronunciation. As an adjective, slight means small or insignificant. As a noun, it commonly means the act of treating someone with indifference or snubbing them.Example: The illusionist spent years perfecting his sleight so that it was undetectable even at close range.