Chicane

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ʃɪˈkeɪn/

Definitions

1. A deceptive maneuver or trick intended to confuse or cheat someone ; a sharp, winding curve in a road, racecourse, or track designed to slow traffic
2. An act of deception or clever trickery used to mislead or gain advantage ; a sudden, tight bend on a path or course that requires careful navigation
3. A crafty or dishonest tactic meant to mislead or stall ; a quick succession of sharp turns in a racing circuit that challenges drivers to reduce speed

Etymology: The sporting sense of "chicane" is the one most readers meet first, as the tight double bend on a motor racing circuit, but the older meaning is trickery. French "chicane" originally named a quibble or a chicanery in argument, and the English word borrowed it with that sense of deception and sly tactics. The racing and road-course sense came later, when the same idea of an obstacle that forces a driver to weave from side to side was applied to a sharp, deliberate zigzag in a course. The French word is the source for both senses, and its own history is the story of a legal quarrel turning into a physical obstacle. The meaning of "tricky, sly argument" moved naturally into the idea of a sudden swerve that makes you change direction, so the two senses are connected by the notion of being thrown off course. Today the racing sense is far more common in everyday speech than the original meaning of deceit.

Synonyms: obstruction, detour, shortcut