the.com/sleight
Skill dressed up as magic, so you blame the universe instead of the hands.
means Dexterous skill or cunning trickery, especially the kind of deft hand movement used to deceive the eye.
from From Middle English 'sleighte,' borrowed from Old Norse 'slœgð' meaning cleverness or cunning — itself tied to 'slœgr,' sly. So 'sleight' and 'sly' are close cousins, both descending from the same old idea of being crafty. The 'sleight of hand' sense locks in the notion: not magic at all, just slyness fast enough to fool an eye.
- not slight
- different word entirely, despite constant mix-ups
- origin
- from Old Norse slaegth, meaning cunning
- the trick
- misdirection does the work, fingers just finish it