chicanery

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Pronunciation

/ʃɪˈkeɪnəri/(shih-KAY-nuh-ree)

Part of speech

nounformal

Chinese

欺骗；诡计

Definition

The use of trickery to achieve a political, financial, or legal purpose.

Word family

  • chicane/ʃɪˈkeɪn/(n/v)诡计/欺骗

Collocations

  • political chicanery
  • legal chicanery
  • financial chicanery
  • bureaucratic chicanery

Examples

  1. 1.The election was marred by chicanery, including ballot stuffing and voter intimidation. (trickery)
  2. 2.Through legal chicanery, the company avoided paying millions in taxes. (devious maneuvering)

Synonyms

  • trickery/ˈtrɪkəri/— deception
  • subterfuge/ˈsʌbtəfjuːdʒ/— deceit to achieve a goal
  • skulduggery/skʌlˈdʌɡəri/— underhanded dealing

Etymology

from French "chicaner" = to quibble, to use tricks — origin uncertain, possibly from medieval Latin — using legal tricks to evade