Lifemanships

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Clever tactics used in everyday social or professional life to outmaneuver rivals while appearing to be playing fair
2. The practice of gaining the upper hand over other people through subtle, calculated manipulation of situations
3. Skilful, often underhanded ways of getting ahead of others in daily dealings, popularised by Stephen Potter's humorous treatise

Etymology: Stephen Potter, the English humorist, coined "lifemanship" as a satirical follow-on to his earlier "gamesmanship," the art of winning games without quite cheating. The ending comes from words like "workmanship," where "-manship" means skill in a practice, so the coinage promises a technique for getting the better of people in ordinary social life. "Lifemanships" is the plural, referring to several of these small social tactics, such as a feigned compliment or a casual claim to some rare experience. Potter's jokes depended on the same pattern: a serious-sounding skill applied to trivial advantages.

Synonyms: one-upmanship, gamesmanship