sleight

American  

[slahyt] / slaɪt /

noun

1. skill; dexterity.

2. an artifice; stratagem.

3. cunning; craft.

---

sleight British  

/ slaɪt /

noun

1. skill; dexterity See also sleight of hand

2. a trick or stratagem

3. cunning; trickery

---

Usage

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.

Etymology

Origin of sleight

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

Example Sentences

He had moments at Wembley, especially with some superb sleight of foot, but both he and Tuchel would have wished for better end product.

From BBC

The most recent sleight of hand is circular financing.

From MarketWatch

For most of the history of the medium, magicians have entertained audiences through a variety of means, most notably tricks, effects, sleights of hand or illusions of seemingly impossible feats.

From Los Angeles Times

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

From Los Angeles Times

But that narrative is also a sleight of hand.

From Salon