do the trick

noun

1. a crafty or underhanded device, maneuver, stratagem, or the like, intended to deceive or cheat; artifice; ruse; wile.
2. an optical illusion: It must have been some visual trick caused by the flickering candlelight.
3. a roguish or mischievous act; practical joke; prank: She likes to play tricks on her friends.
4. a mean, foolish, or childish action.
5. a clever or ingenious device or expedient; adroit technique: the tricks of the trade.
6. the art or knack of doing something skillfully: You seem to have mastered the trick of making others laugh.
7. a clever or dexterous feat intended to entertain, amuse, etc.: He taught his dog some amazing tricks.
8. a feat of magic or legerdemain: card tricks.
9. a behavioral peculiarity; trait; habit; mannerism.
10. a period of duty or turn; stint; tour of duty: I relieved the pilot after he had completed his trick at the wheel.
11. Cards.
    1. the group or set of cards played and won in one round.
    2. a point or scoring unit.
    3. a card that is a potential winner.Compare honor trick.
12. Informal. a child or young girl: a pretty little trick.
13. Slang.
    1. a prostitute’s customer.
    2. a sexual act between a prostitute and a customer.
14. Heraldry.
    1. a preliminary sketch of a coat of arms.
    2. engraver’s trick.

adjective

15. of, pertaining to, characterized by, or involving tricks: trick shooting.
16. designed or used for tricks: a trick chair.
17. (of a joint) inclined to stiffen or weaken suddenly and unexpectedly: a trick shoulder.

verb (used with object)

18. to deceive by trickery.
19. Heraldry. to indicate the tinctures of (a coat of arms) with engravers tricks.
20. to cheat or swindle (usually followed by out of): to trick someone out of an inheritance.
21. to beguile by trickery (usually followed by into).

verb (used without object)

22. to practice trickery or deception; cheat.
23. to play tricks; trifle (usually followed by with).
24. Slang. to engage in sexual acts for hire.

Verb Phrases

25. trick out, Informal. to embellish or adorn with or as if with ornaments or other attention-getting devices.

Idioms

26. do/turn the trick, to achieve the desired effect or result: Another turn of the pliers should do the trick.
27. turn a trick, Slang. (of a prostitute) to engage in a sexual act with a customer.

noun

1. a deceitful, cunning, or underhand action or plan
2. 1. a mischievous, malicious, or humorous action or plan; jokethe boys are up to their tricks again
   2. (as modifier)a trick spider
3. an illusory or magical feat or device
4. a simple feat learned by an animal or person
5. an adroit or ingenious device; knacka trick of the trade
6. a behavioural trait, habit, or mannerism
7. a turn or round of duty or work
8. cards
   1. a batch of cards containing one from each player, usually played in turn and won by the player or side that plays the card with the highest value
   2. a card that can potentially win a trick
9. can’t take a trick Australian slang to be consistently unsuccessful or unlucky
10. do the trick informal to produce the right or desired result
11. how’s tricks? slang how are you?
12. turn a trick slang (of a prostitute) to gain a customer

verb

13. to defraud, deceive, or cheat (someone), esp by means of a trick

n.

early 15c., “a cheat, a mean ruse,” from Old North French trique “trick, deceit, treachery, cheating,” from trikier “to deceive, to cheat,” variant of Old French trichier, probably from Vulgar Latin *triccare, from Latin tricari “be evasive, shuffle,” from tricæ “trifles, nonsense, a tangle of difficulties,” of unknown origin.

Meaning “a roguish prank” is recorded from 1580s; sense of “the art of doing something” is first attested 1610s. Meaning “prostitute’s client” is first attested 1915; earlier it was U.S. slang for “a robbery” (1865). Trick-or-treat is recorded from 1942.

v.

1590s, from trick (v.). Related: Tricked; tricking. An earlier sense of “to dress, adorn” (c.1500) is perhaps a different word entirely.

Also, turn the trick. Bring about a desired result, succeed. For example, One more turn with the wrench should do the trick, or Bill wanted to finish all the errands in one day but he couldn’t quite turn the trick. The first expression dates from the early 1800s; the variant, from the first half of the 1900s; should not be confused with turn a trick.

In addition to the idioms beginning with trick

• trick or treat
• trick out
• tricks of the trade

also see:

• bag of tricks
• confidence game (trick)
• dirty tricks
• do the trick
• hat trick
• how’s tricks
• not miss a trick
• teach an old dog new tricks
• that does it (the trick)
• turn a trick
• up to one’s old tricks