Legerdemain
“Legerdemain” 是一个名词,字面意思是“手中的敏捷”。它既指魔术师表演的近景戏法、幻术,也可以比喻任何聪明但带有欺骗性的手段或花招(如财务上的数字游戏)。
- “The magician performed a stunning piece of legerdemain with a deck of cards.” (魔术师用一副扑克牌表演了一段令人惊叹的戏法。)
- “The company’s apparent profit was actually the result of financial legerdemain.” (公司表面的利润实际上是财务造假的结果。)
- “He used political legerdemain to win the election despite his lack of popularity.” (尽管不受欢迎,他仍利用政治手段赢得了选举。)
源自法语短语 “léger de main”,意为 “light of hand” (手快的)。“Léger” (轻的/快的) + “de” (的) + “main” (手)。
无特定词缀(属于借词)。
这个词通常用于正式的书面语中,带有一种高雅但怀疑的语调。当人们怀疑某种惊人的成果是通过不正当或隐蔽的手段取得时,常会用到这个词。
- 相关词: sleight of hand (同义词)
拆分记忆:Leger (想象 Ledger 账本,财务上的花招) + de + Main (法语的手)。“账本里的手”——花招、戏法。或者记住它的意思就是 “light hand”。
“The crowd gasped as the performer made the bird disappear into thin air. It was a classic example of legerdemain—while everyone watched his right hand, his left hand was busy hiding the bird behind his cloak.” (当表演者让那只鸟凭空消失时,观众发出了惊呼。这是典型的戏法——当大家都在盯着他的右手时,他的左手正忙着把鸟藏在斗篷后面。)