skill 'skil\ n [ME skil, fr. ON, distinction, knowledge; akin to OE scylian
to sep]arate, sciell shell - more at SHELL obs 1: CAUSE, REASON 2: the
ability to use one’s knowledge effectively and readily in execution or
performance : technical expertness : PROFICIENCY, DEXTERITY 3: a learned
power of doing a thing competently : a developed aptitude or ability
skill vi archaic : to make a difference : MATTER, AVAIL
Word: trick Cross references:
4. dupe
trick 'trik\ n [ME trik, fr. ONF trique, fr. trikier to deceive, cheat]
5a: a crafty procedure or practice meant to deceive or defraud 1b: a
mischievous act : PRANK 1c: an indiscreet or childish action 1d: a
deceptive, dexterous, or ingenious feat designed to puzzle or amuse {a
juggler’s ~s} 2a: an habitual peculiarity of behavior or manner {a horse
with the ~ of shying} 2b: a characteristic and identifying feature {a ~
of speech} 2c: an optical illusion {a mere ~ of the light} 3a: a quick or
artful way of getting a result : KNACK 3b: a technical device (as of an
art or craft) {the ~s of stage technique} 4: the cards played in one
round of a card game often used as a scoring unit 5a: a turn of duty at
the helm usu. lasting for two hours 5b: SHIFT 5c: a trip taken as part of
one’s employment 6: an attractive child or pretty young woman {cute
little ~}E, WILE, FEINT mean an indirect means to gain an end. TRICK may
imply deception, roguishness, illusion, and either an evil or harmless
end; RUSE stresses an attempt to mislead by a false impression; STRATAGEM
implies a ruse used to entrap, outwit, circumvent, or surprise an
opponent or enemy; MANEUVER suggests adroit and skillful avoidance of
difficulty; ARTIFICE implies ingenious contrivance or invention; WILE
suggests an attempt to entrap or deceive with false allurements; FEINT
implies a diversion or distraction of attention away from one’s real
intent SYN syn TRICK, RUSE, STRATAGEM, MANEUVER, ARTIFIC
trick aj 1: of or relating to or involving tricks or trickery {~ photography
~ dice} 2: TRIG 3a: somewhat defective and unreliable {a ~ lock} 3b: inclined
to give way unexpectedly {a ~ knee}
trick vt 1: to deceive by cunning or artifice : CHEAT 2: to dress or adorn
fancifully or ornately : ORNAMENT {~ed out in a gaudy uniform}
–
Anu Garg | Subscribe to A.Word.A.Day. Send a blank message agarg@ces.cwru.edu |
to the wordserver at wsmith@lrdc5.lrdc.pitt.edu http://toros.cwru.edu:8001/anu|
for instructions.
In message <199503020227.VAA15863@cerberos.CES.CWRU.Edu> Anu Garg writes:
Personally, I view anything that doesn’t have a start or an end a ‘skill.’
Riding backwards, idling on one foot, etc, are skills. Things that have a
definate start/end, like side mounts, 360’s, etc, are tricks. And I find nothing
degrading about the word trick…
> Word: trick Cross references: > 1. dupe
Before anyone goes off thinking ‘trick’ only means ‘to fool,’ why not just quote
the definition in question?
> speech} 2c: an optical illusion {a mere ~ of the light} 3a: a quick or > artful way of getting a result : KNACK 3b: a technical device (as of an ar
A side mount IS a quick or artful way of getting a result (mounted) isn’t it?
Then according to this definition, trick applies in this case. It doesn’t
really, IMO, apply to methods of riding.
On Fri, 03 Mar 1995 09:29:47 GMT in Newsgroup: Email you wrote: : In message <199503020227.VAA15863@cerberos.CES.CWRU.Edu> Anu Garg writes:
: Personally, I view anything that doesn’t have a start or an end a ‘skill.’ : Riding backwards, idling on one foot, etc, are skills. Things that have a : definate start/end, like side mounts, 360’s, etc, are tricks. And I find : nothing degrading about the word trick…
: > Word: trick Cross references: : > 1. dupe
: Before anyone goes off thinking ‘trick’ only means ‘to fool,’ why not just : quote the definition in question?
: > speech} 2c: an optical illusion {a mere ~ of the light} 3a: a quick or : > artful way of getting a result : KNACK 3b: a technical device (as of : > an ar
: A side mount IS a quick or artful way of getting a result (mounted) isn’t it? : Then according to this definition, trick applies in this case. It doesn’t : really, IMO, apply to methods of riding.
How about “stunt”? Does that work? It means more to me than “trick”, showing
more of a skill level that “trick” does.“Skill” doesn’t ring any bells for me,
but it IS better than “trick”…
I agree with your above statement of the word “skill”.
Dictionary definitions aren’t the end of the story. They’re essentially just the
opinions of a bunch of lexicographers Typical failings of dictionaries are
their lack of cover for idioms/colloquialisms that are either just way too
specialised or specific, both of which apply to unicycling. (Eg your dictionary
seems to failed to mention the adjectival meaning of ‘trick’ in common parlance
ie ‘neat’/‘impressive’ as in ‘trick handlebars’.)
Rather than ask an abstract generic dictionary, ask the people who use the
language, namely the guys/gals on the street actually performing these tricks.
Ask the skaters, inliners, BMXers, yo-yo fanatics (f’chrissakes) and I guarantee
you they’ll say with >99% probability ‘trick’. Furthermore they’ll probably
vaguely bemused at the suggestion of actual trickery/deception, a theme your
dictionary seems to play on heavily.
As for deception, check out a modern BMX video. You’ll be hitting the rewind
button so often it’ll wear out before you’re convinced it isn’t a cleverly
editted ‘trick’!
Typical failings of dictionaries are