legerdemain

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The Word of the Day for January 26 is: 

legerdemain   \lej-er-duh-MAYN\   noun
    *1 : sleight of hand 
     2 : a display of skill and adroitness 

Example sentence:
     It was an impressive feat of legerdemain for Shane to take a dollar bill 
and instantly turn it into twenty nickels.

Did you know?
     In Middle French, folks who were clever enough to fool others with 
fast-fingered illusions were described as "leger de main," literally "light of 
hand." English speakers condensed that phrase into a noun when they borrowed it 
in the 15th century and began using it as an alternative to the older "sleight 
of hand." (That term for dexterity or skill in using one's hands makes use of 
"sleight," an old word from Middle English that derives from an Old Norse word 
meaning "sly.") In more modern times, a feat of legerdemain can even be 
accomplished without using your hands, as in, for example, "an impressive bit 
of financial legerdemain."

*Indicates the sense illustrated in the example sentence. 






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