Legerdemains

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A display of skillful sleight of hand that creates illusions or tricks for entertainment
2. An artful and deft performance involving manipulation or dexterity, often seen in magic shows
3. A form of clever and deceptive skill usually associated with conjuring, where objects appear or disappear in surprising ways

Etymology: "Legerdemain" is the plural of nothing in English usage as a noun form; it is a singular noun that happens to look plural because of its final "s"-like ending. The word came into English from Anglo-French "leger de main," meaning "light of hand," where "leger" is the ancestor of modern "light" in the sense of nimble or quick, and "main" means "hand," from Latin "manus." The phrase was once a neutral description of quickness with the hands, and it carried no suggestion of trickery. Over time the sense narrowed toward sleight of hand, the practised skill of conjurers and card players, and the word gained the connotation of cleverness used to deceive or distract. The English form shows a common medieval habit of reshaping foreign phrases. Speakers treated the French words as a single unit and spelled them in English fashion, which is why "de main" became a single word ending in "-main" rather than a separate phrase.

Synonyms: sleights, tricks, conjurings