chicanery
UK: ʃɪˈkeɪnəri | US: ʃɪˈkeɪnəri
n. the use of trickery or clever talk to deceive or evade
chicanery = chicane<trickery> + ery<noun suffix>
- chicane (from French chicaner, meaning "to quibble" or "to use petty tricks")
- ery (noun-forming suffix indicating "practice" or "behavior," as in robbery, archery)
Etymology Origin:
The word chicanery traces back to 17th-century French chicaner, which originally referred to legal quibbling or evasion. It likely derived from Middle French chicane, a term for petty disputes or trickery in games or law. Over time, chicanery broadened to describe any form of deceptive manipulation, retaining its core association with cunning and deceit.
The politician’s speech was full of chicanery, obscuring the truth with clever wordplay.
Legal chicanery allowed the corporation to avoid paying taxes.
She saw through his chicanery and refused to be fooled.
The contract was riddled with chicanery, hiding unfavorable terms in fine print.
His reputation for chicanery made others wary of trusting him.