smoke and mirrors

noun

1. (used with a singular or plural verb),  something that distorts or blurs facts, figures, etc., like a magic or conjuring trick; artful deception.

smoke and mirrors

noun

1. irrelevant or misleading information serving to obscure the truth of a situation

Word History and Origins

Origin of smoke and mirrors¹

First recorded in 1980–85

Word History and Origins

Origin of smoke and mirrors¹

C20: reference to the use of smoke and mirrors in conjuring illusions

Example Sentences

"Neuralink is currently just smoke and mirrors, with a lot of hype," Herve Chneiweiss, a neurologist and expert in ethics at France's research organisation INSERM, told AFP.

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Roberts never had to prepare the smoke and mirrors required to navigate the final third of the game.

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The pay package is replete with smoke and mirrors, its benchmarks painstakingly tweaked to make them much more achievable than they appear on the surface.

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Although that was more than 30 years ago, the smoke and mirrors nonsense usually produced by meetings like these has not changed.

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In the end, much of what I had observed as a high life that might someday include me was simply smoke and mirrors artfully and deceitfully played.

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