tricks of the trade

Idioms  

1. Clever ways of operating a business or performing a task or activity, especially slightly dishonest or unfair ones. For example, Alma knows all the tricks of the trade, cutting the fabric as close as possible, or The butcher weighs meat after it's wrapped; charging for the packaging is one of the tricks of the trade.

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Example Sentences

Finding what’s unwritten, tricks of the trade, and the view of the constantly changing competitive landscape will create new winners.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 1, 2026

As a therapist herself, working in the same shared office space as her own analyst, Linda knows all of the tricks of the trade and also what defines a good and bad practitioner.

From Salon • Oct. 24, 2025

Growing up in Laos, she learned tricks of the trade from her Hmong community, for whom gardening was an important part of everyday life.

From Seattle Times • May 22, 2024

They shared the tricks of the trade and offered some advice about keeping costs down, especially this year with so many people feeling the pinch.

From BBC • Dec. 22, 2022

Instead of chitchatting or gossiping or sharing tricks of the trade, they shift in their seats and cast rather conspicuous glances at the girl.

From "The Night Circus" by Erin Morgenstern