Make Your Point > Archived Issues > LEGERDEMAIN

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explore the archives: Today's word is about magic, both literal and figurative. Other terms that also have a bit of abracadabra in them include "g_____ l___," a genie-like protective spirit of a place or the general atmosphere of a place, and "n_________," having the power of a potion that helps you forget your troubles. make your point with... "LEGERDEMAIN" French for "light of hand," legerdemain literally is the use of magic tricks performed with your hands, and figurative legerdemain is skillful trickery. Pronunciation: LEDGE ur dih MAIN Part of speech: Noun. Both a countable noun ("a legerdemain," "two legerdemains," "lots of legerdemains") and an uncountable noun ("the legerdemain," "some legerdemain," "a display of legerdemain.") Other forms: legerdemains, legerdemainist How to use it: Since not many of us are too interested in actual magic shows, I'll keep the discussion focused on figurative use! :) Talk about accomplishing something through legerdemain, accusing someone of legerdemain, using legerdemain, uncovering legerdemain, and so on. Often it's an activity that we think of as belonging to someone or characteristic of someone: "his legerdemain," "her legerdemain," "the company's legerdemain," "the legerdemain of a skilled politician," etc. And you can have a specific type: legal legerdemain, linguistic legerdemain, marketing legerdemain, political legerdemain, rhetorical legerdemain. You can also treat this word like a countable noun and talk about "a legerdemain," "all her legerdemains," "one financial legerdemain after another," etc. You'll notice that a lot of my examples are lighthearted, appropriate since this word is such a crazy mouthful. But you can certainly use it seriously to talk about any deception that's skillful, mean, or unjust. Lastly, some people use "legerdemain" as an adjective, as in "legerdemain tactics" or "a legerdemain manner," but that seems rare. examples: According to their Reddit posts, some much-envied programmers are capable of doing their entire week's work in only half a workday. And then some kind of legerdemain makes that work appear to fill forty hours. In a bit of legerdemain, my two-year-old convinced me that she had eaten some vegetables. It all fell apart when I cleaned her chair later. study it now: Look away from the screen to explain the definition in your own words. You’ll know you understand what "legerdemain" means when you can explain it without saying "sleight of hand" or "sneaky manipulation." try it out: Think of something you can't do because it's too complex or difficult, and fill in the blanks: "_____ would require a feat of (a specific type of) legerdemain." Example: "Folding a fitted sheet so that it actually looks neat and crisp would require a feat of domestic legerdemain." before you review: Spend at least 20 seconds occupying your mind with the game below. Then try the review questions. Don’t go straight to the review now—let your working memory empty out first. When it comes to word roots, everybody knows what some of them mean, like “ambi/amphi” (“both”) and “circum” (“around”) and “hetero” (“different”). This knowledge helps you explain why words like “automobile” and “autobiography” look similar—in this case, it’s because they both involve the concept of “self.” But what about some of the less obvious roots? Could you explain, for example, why “contain” looks so much like “sustain” by defining “tain”? This month, we're exploring the meanings underlying common words you know. You can usually figure these out by looking for an extremely basic concept common to all the words in each group. We’ll start with easier, more obvious roots and move on to trickier ones as the month goes on! Yesterday's question:  In accomplice, complicate, duplicate, explicate, explicit, and implicate, what does “plic” mean? Answer: To fold.  Try this one today:  In accept, concept, deception, except, intercept, perception, precept, reception, and susceptible, what does “cept” mean?  review today's word: 1. The opposite of LEGERDEMAIN is A. HONESTY B. ABILITY C. LOYALTY 2.  _____ depends on a mixture of _____ and corporate legerdemain. A. How we plan .. tradition B. What we buy .. habit C. Why we travel .. necessity Answers are below. a final word: To be a sponsor and send your own message to readers of this list, please contact Liesl at Liesl@HiloTutor.com. Disclaimer: Word meanings presented here are expressed in plain language and are limited to common, useful applications only. Readers interested in authoritative and multiple definitions of words are encouraged to check a dictionary. Likewise, word meanings, usage, and pronunciations are limited to American English; these elements may vary across world Englishes. Answers to review questions: 1. A 2. B