Sleight

/slaɪt/

noun

The use of dexterity or cunning, especially so as to deceive.

It required considerable sleight to pull off such a complex magic trick.

Often appears as...

sleight of hand
sleight of mind

noun

The use of dexterity or cunning, especially so as to deceive.

It required considerable sleight to pull off such a complex magic trick.

Often appears as...

sleight of hand
sleight of mind

Definition 1 of 1

Pro Tip 1/3

Magic Tricks

Often used when talking about magicians who use hand skill to deceive the audience.

The magician's sleight was so skilled, the cards seemed to vanish.

Pro Tip 2/3

Deceptive Skill

Implies cleverness or skill used for deceitful purposes, not just physical dexterity.

He used verbal sleight to dodge the difficult question.

Pro Tip 3/3

Not Always Negative

While it suggests deceit, it's not always used in a harmful sense; can be playful.

The child's sleight in hiding the cookies was amusing.

Pro Tip 1/3

Magic Tricks

Often used when talking about magicians who use hand skill to deceive the audience.

The magician's sleight was so skilled, the cards seemed to vanish.

Pro Tip 2/3

Deceptive Skill

Implies cleverness or skill used for deceitful purposes, not just physical dexterity.

He used verbal sleight to dodge the difficult question.

Pro Tip 3/3

Not Always Negative

While it suggests deceit, it's not always used in a harmful sense; can be playful.

The child's sleight in hiding the cookies was amusing.

Pro Tip 1/3

Magic Tricks

Often used when talking about magicians who use hand skill to deceive the audience.

The magician's sleight was so skilled, the cards seemed to vanish.

Pro Tip 2/3

Deceptive Skill

Implies cleverness or skill used for deceitful purposes, not just physical dexterity.

He used verbal sleight to dodge the difficult question.

Pro Tip 3/3

Not Always Negative

While it suggests deceit, it's not always used in a harmful sense; can be playful.

The child's sleight in hiding the cookies was amusing.

Compare with

adroitcunningdeceitfuldeceitdexterityproficiencytrickery

Look up Compare with

Visual representation of the word "Sleight"

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Video examples

This Russian City is the...

young people who are wearing jewelry sleight of hand to see some of these new styles I decided to pay a visit to a local jewelry designer who specialized in making customized new designs for the next generation

Video examples

Brain magic PIPE Keith Barry

Thank you. If anybody wants to see some sleight of hand later on, I'll be outside. Thank you. Thank you.

Video examples

This Russian City is the...

Video examples

Brain magic PIPE Keith Barry

Thank you. If anybody wants to see some sleight of hand later on, I'll be outside. Thank you. Thank you.

Example 1 of 2

Quote examples

Jon Landau

American Producer

Elton John can be a master of the sleight of hand. The arrangements make it seem like there are substantial melodies underneath the tracks - but almost nothing demands repeated listenings. Similarly, he always sounds like he's singing up a storm, but his voice glosses over the material, reducing most things to an uninteresting sameness.

Quote examples

Steve Buscemi

American Actor

Growing up, yeah, I had a magic kit with learn tricks and learn card tricks, but I was never... I used to watch whatever magic special was on as a kid, but then, it's not that I lost interest, but to be a magician, you really, it's really hard work. Learning lines is hard enough; learning sleight of hand, that's real practice.

Quote examples

Keith Barry

Irish Entertainer

Dave Franco, I could put him up there with the best card throwers in the world. Not the best sleight of hand, but he could take a card and fire it over there and stick it into an apple. If he kept training at it, he could definitely break a Guinness World Record - he's that good.

Quote examples

Derren Brown

English Entertainer

And the nature of magic is all in the person's experience. Whether the magician is using a highly complex sleight of hand or he's just got two cards that are the same, it doesn't matter: it's how it's sold and how magical it is for the person that matters.

Quote examples

Oneohtrix Point Never

American Musician

Especially in repetitive music, to make a long piece of music you have to be extremely skilled in your sleight of hand. Just to make long form music it's very difficult and you really have to consider what you're putting someone through.

Quote examples

Rich Sommer

American Actor

I can juggle, not well... I can balance a broom on my chin. I can do very simple carny tricks, a little sleight of hand with cards and coins.

Quote examples

Alastair Reynolds

British Author

If you're creating a whole universe, even if it's a universe squeezed into a solar system, you have to use a little bit of sleight of hand.

Quote examples

Janet Malcolm

American Writer

The Rachel Maddow Show' is a piece of sleight of hand presented as a cable news show. It is TV entertainment at its finest.

Quote examples

Harry Anderson

American Actor

If you do sleight of hand without trying to cheat someone, that's what magic is.

Quote examples

Jeremy Sisto

American Actor

I don't have the attention span to practice sleight of hand.

Quote examples

Jon Landau

American Producer

Elton John can be a master of the sleight of hand. The arrangements make it seem like there are substantial melodies underneath the tracks - but almost nothing demands repeated listenings. Similarly, he always sounds like he's singing up a storm, but his voice glosses over the material, reducing most things to an uninteresting sameness.

Quote examples

Steve Buscemi

American Actor

Growing up, yeah, I had a magic kit with learn tricks and learn card tricks, but I was never... I used to watch whatever magic special was on as a kid, but then, it's not that I lost interest, but to be a magician, you really, it's really hard work. Learning lines is hard enough; learning sleight of hand, that's real practice.

Quote examples

Keith Barry

Irish Entertainer

Dave Franco, I could put him up there with the best card throwers in the world. Not the best sleight of hand, but he could take a card and fire it over there and stick it into an apple. If he kept training at it, he could definitely break a Guinness World Record - he's that good.

Quote examples

Derren Brown

English Entertainer

And the nature of magic is all in the person's experience. Whether the magician is using a highly complex sleight of hand or he's just got two cards that are the same, it doesn't matter: it's how it's sold and how magical it is for the person that matters.

Quote examples

Oneohtrix Point Never

American Musician

Especially in repetitive music, to make a long piece of music you have to be extremely skilled in your sleight of hand. Just to make long form music it's very difficult and you really have to consider what you're putting someone through.

Quote examples

Rich Sommer

American Actor

I can juggle, not well... I can balance a broom on my chin. I can do very simple carny tricks, a little sleight of hand with cards and coins.

Quote examples

Alastair Reynolds

British Author

If you're creating a whole universe, even if it's a universe squeezed into a solar system, you have to use a little bit of sleight of hand.

Quote examples

Janet Malcolm

American Writer

The Rachel Maddow Show' is a piece of sleight of hand presented as a cable news show. It is TV entertainment at its finest.

Quote examples

Harry Anderson

American Actor

If you do sleight of hand without trying to cheat someone, that's what magic is.

Quote examples

Jeremy Sisto

American Actor

I don't have the attention span to practice sleight of hand.

Example 1 of 10

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