Something intended to deceive; deliberate trickery intended to gain an advantage.

synonyms: dupery, fraud, fraudulence, humbug, put-on.

Roget 545: deception; falseness etc. 544; untruth etc. 546; imposition, imposture; fraud, deceit, guile; fraudulence, fraudulency^†; covin^†; knavery etc. (cunning) 702; misrepresentation etc. (falsehood) 544; bluff; straw-bail, straw bid [U.S.]; spoof [Slang].    delusion, gullery^†; juggling, jugglery^†; slight of hand, legerdemain; prestigiation^†, prestidigitation; magic etc. 992; conjuring, conjuration; hocus-pocus, escamoterie^†, jockeyship^†; trickery, coggery^†, chicanery; supercherie^†, cozenage^†, circumvention, ingannation^†, collusion; treachery etc. 940; practical joke.    trick, cheat, wile, blind, feint, plant, bubble, fetch, catch, chicane, juggle, reach, hocus, bite; card sharping, stacked deck, loaded dice, quick shuffle, double dealing, dealing seconds, dealing from the bottom of the deck; artful dodge, swindle; tricks upon travelers; stratagem etc. (artifice) 702; confidence trick, fake, hoax; theft etc. 791; ballot-box stuffing [U.S.], barney [Slang]; brace game [Slang], bunko game, drop game [Slang], gum game [U.S.], panel game [U.S.], shell game, thimblerig, skin game [U.S.].    snare, trap, pitfall, decoy, gin; springe^†, springle^†; noose, hoot; bait, decoy-duck, tub to the whale, baited trap, guet-a-pens; cobweb, net, meshes, toils, mouse trap, birdlime; dionaea^†, Venus's flytrap^†; ambush etc. 530; trapdoor, sliding panel, false bottom; spring-net, spring net, spring gun, mask, masked battery; mine; flytrap^†; green goods [U.S.]; panel house.    Cornish hug; wolf in sheep's clothing etc. (deceiver) 548; disguise, disguisement^†; false colors, masquerade, mummery, borrowed plumes; pattes de velours [Fr.].    mockery etc. (imitation) 19; copy etc. 21; counterfeit, sham, make-believe, forgery, fraud; lie etc. 546; a delusion a mockery and a snare" [Denman], hollow mockery.    whited sepulcher, painted sepulcher; tinsel; paste, junk jewelry, costume jewelry, false jewelry, synthetic jewels; scagliola^†, ormolu, German silver, albata^†, paktong^†, white metal, Britannia metal, paint; veneer; jerry building; man of straw.    illusion etc. (error) 495; ignis fatuus [Lat.] etc. 423; mirage etc. 443.    ... show more

Dutch: oplichterij, hoax, fraude, geknoei, gerommel, gesjoemel, knoeierij

Subject to a playful hoax or joke.

synonyms: play a joke on, pull someone's leg.

Roget 545: deceive, take in; defraud, cheat, jockey, do, cozen, diddle, nab, chouse, play one false, bilk, cully^†, jilt, bite, pluck, swindle, victimize; abuse; mystify; blind one's eyes; blindfold, hoodwink; throw dust into the eyes; dupe, gull, hoax, fool, befool^†, bamboozle, flimflam, hornswoggle; trick.    impose upon, practice upon, play upon, put upon, palm off on, palm upon, foist upon; snatch a verdict; bluff off, bluff; bunko, four flush [Slang], gum [U.S.], spoof [Slang], stuff (a ballot box) [U.S.].    circumvent, overreach; outreach, out wit, out maneuver; steal a march upon, give the go-by, to leave in the lurch decoy, waylay, lure, beguile, delude, inveigle; entrap, intrap^†, ensnare; nick, springe^†; set a trap, lay a trap, lay a snare for; bait the hook, forelay^†, spread the toils, lime; trapan^†, trepan; kidnap; let in, hook in; nousle^†, nousel^†; blind a trail; enmesh, immesh^†; shanghai; catch, catch in a trap; sniggle, entangle, illaqueate^†, hocus, escamoter^†, practice on one's credulity; hum, humbug; gammon, stuff up [Slang], sell; play a trick upon one, play a practical joke upon one, put something over on one, put one over on; balk, trip up, throw a tub to a whale; fool to the top of one's bent, send on a fool's errand; make game, make a fool of, make an April fool of^†, make an ass of; trifle with, cajole, flatter; come over etc. (influence) 615; gild the pill, make things pleasant, divert, put a good face upon; dissemble etc. 544.    cog, cog the dice, load the dice, stack the deck; live by one's wits, play at hide and seek; obtain money under false pretenses etc. (steal) 791; conjure, juggle, practice chicanery; deacon [U.S.].    play off, palm off, foist off, fob-off.    lie etc. 544; misinform etc. 538; mislead etc. (error) 495; betray etc. 940; be deceived etc. 547.    ... show more