tradecraft

American  

[treyd-kraft] / ˈtreɪdˌkræft /

noun

1. the various technologies and practices used in espionage and in the analysis of the resulting intelligence.

   Previous generations had to rely on the Cold War tradecraft of dead drops or brush passes for covert information exchanges.

2. the methods, techniques, etc., involved in the practice of any profession or skilled trade.

   The conference brings together experts in various trades to develop curricula based on their tradecraft and skills.

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Etymology

Origin of tradecraft

First recorded in 1810–20; trade ( def. ) + craft ( def. )

Example Sentences

But work in the field didn’t pan out: Posted to Israel in the early 1950s, Mitrokhin was part of a spy group that was tainted by accusations of sloppy tradecraft.

From The Wall Street Journal

Traditional spy tools and methods—known in the field as “tradecraft”— suddenly seemed unusable.

From The Wall Street Journal

Burgess described the hackers' abilities as "highly sophisticated, using top-notch tradecraft to find your networks, test for vulnerabilities, knock on digital doors and check the digital locks".

From BBC

Like anyone new to tradecraft, he learned by trial and error.

From Literature

“There could be bits of tradecraft, or alluding to assets, or people at the agency, which are clear no’s,” McCloskey said.

From Los Angeles Times