Noun

(en noun)

Something designed to fool or swindle.

A single piece (or business) of a magician's (or any variety entertainer's) act.

An effective, clever or quick way of doing something.

* {{quote-magazine, date=2013-07-20, volume=408, issue=8845, magazine=(The Economist)

, title= Welcome to the plastisphere , passage=Plastics are energy-rich substances, which is why many of them burn so readily. Any organism that could unlock and use that energy would do well in the Anthropocene. Terrestrial bacteria and fungi which can manage this trick are already familiar to experts in the field.}}

Mischievous or annoying behavior; a prank.

the tricks of boys

(Prior)

(dated) A particular habit or manner; a peculiarity; a trait.

a trick''' of drumming with the fingers; a '''trick of frowning

* William Shakespeare, King Lear act IV, scene VI:

The trick of that voice I do well remember.

* William Shakespeare,King John Act I, scene I

He hath a trick of Cœur de Lion's face.

A knot, braid, or plait of hair.

(Ben Jonson)

(card games) A sequence in which each player plays a card and a winning play is determined.

* Alexander Pope

On one nice trick depends the general fate.

(slang) An act of prostitution. Generally used with turn .

(slang) A customer to a prostitute.

An entertaining difficult physical action.

A daily period of work, especially in shift-based jobs.

* 1885 , Order of Railway Conductors and Brakemen, The Conductor and Brakeman , page 496:

On third trick from 12 m. to 8 am, we have W. A. White, formerly operator at Wallula, who thus far has given general satisfaction.

* 1899 , New York (State), Bureau of Statistics, Deptartment of Labor, Annual Report :

Woodside Junction—On 8 hour basis, first trick' $60, second '''trick''' $60, third ' trick $50.

* 1949 , Labor arbitration reports , page 738:

The Union contends that Fifer was entitled to promotion to the position of Group Leader on the third trick in the Core Room Department.

(nautical) A sailor's spell of work at the helm, usually two hours long.

A toy; a trifle; a plaything.

(Shakespeare)

Noun

(en noun)

Any piece of equipment made for a particular purpose, especially a mechanical or electrical one.

* 1949 . Geneva Convention on Road Traffic

Every cycle shall be equipped with: [...] (b) an audible warning device consisting of a bell [...]

* {{quote-magazine, title=A better waterworks, date=2013-06-01, volume=407, issue=8838

, page=5 (Technology Quarterly), magazine=(The Economist) citation , passage=An artificial kidney these days still means a refrigerator-sized dialysis machine. Such devices mimic the way real kidneys cleanse blood and eject impurities and surplus water as urine.}}

A project or scheme, often designed to deceive; a stratagem; an artifice.

*

His device is against Babylon, to destroy it.

*

He disappointeth the devices of the crafty, so that their hands cannot perform their enterprise.

* 1827 Hallam, Henry, , Harper

Their recent device of demanding benevolences.

* {{quote-magazine, date=2012-03, author=

, title=Pixels or Perish, volume=100, issue=2, page=106 , magazine= citation , passage=Drawings and pictures are more than mere ornaments in scientific discourse. Blackboard sketches, geological maps, diagrams of molecular structure, astronomical photographs, MRI images, the many varieties of statistical charts and graphs: These pictorial devices are indispensable tools for presenting evidence, for explaining a theory, for telling a story.}}

(rhetoric) A technique that an author or speaker uses to evoke an emotional response in the audience; a rhetorical device .

(senseid)(heraldry) A motto, emblem, or other mark used to distinguish the bearer from others. A device differs from a badge or cognizance primarily because as it is a personal distinction, and not a badge borne by members of the same house successively.

* 1736 . O'Callaghan, Edmund Bailey. The Documentary History of the State of New York .

The devices of these savages are the serpent, the Deer, and the Small Acorn.

(archaic) Power of devising; invention; contrivance.

* 1824 . Landor, Walter Savage "King Henry IV and Sir Arnold Savage" from Imaginary Conversations of Literary Men and Statesmen , page 44

Moreover I must have instruments of mine own device , weighty, and exceeding costly

* 1976 . The Eagles, "Hotel California"

And she said,

"We are all prisoners here,

Of our own device "

(legal) An image used in whole or in part as a trademark or service mark.

(printing) An image or logo denoting official or proprietary authority or provenience.

* 1943 United States Post Office Department. A Description of United States Postage Stamps / Issued by the Post Office Department from July 1, 1847, to April 1, 1945 [sic] , USGPO, Washington, p1:

Prior to the issuance of the first stamps, letters accepted by postmasters for dispatch were marked "Paid" by means of pen and ink or hand stamps of various designs. [...] To facilitate the handling of mail matter, some postmasters provided special stamps or devices for use on letters as evidence of the prepayment of postage.

(obsolete) A spectacle or show.

(Beaumont and Fletcher)

(obsolete) Opinion; decision.