sleight.

1. Skill in clever manipulation, especially with the hands.

2. A clever trick or device used to mislead.

Use it for

Words that belong together

• sleight of hand
• manual sleight

On the page

The trick depended on sleight of hand rather than a hidden compartment.

Usage notes

Primary category: literary / elevated general. Forms: Usually uncountable; no ordinary plural in this sense. Legacy lexical fields mirror sense 1 only. Use numbered sense fields for all meanings. Established modern English lexical item. No separate regional spelling or grammatical inflection entry. Commonness: uncommon.