Ploy vs. Trick — What's the Difference?
Difference Between Ploy and Trick
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Definitions
Ploy
A cunning plan or action designed to turn a situation to one's own advantage
The president has dismissed the referendum as a ploy to buy time
Trick
A cunning act or scheme intended to deceive or outwit someone
He's a double-dealer capable of any mean trick
Ploy
An action calculated to frustrate an opponent or gain an advantage indirectly or deviously; a maneuver
"A typical ploy is to feign illness, procure medicine, then sell it on the black market" (Jill Smolowe).
Trick
A peculiar or characteristic habit or mannerism
She had a trick of clipping off certain words and phrases
Ploy
A tactic, strategy, or scheme.
The free T-shirt is really a ploy to get you inside to see their sales pitch.
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Trick
(in bridge, whist, and similar card games) a sequence of cards forming a single round of play. One card is laid down by each player, the highest card being the winner.
Ploy
Sport; frolic.
Trick
A prostitute's client.
Ploy
(obsolete) Employment.
Trick
A sailor's turn at the helm, usually lasting for two or four hours.
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Ploy
(military) To form a column from a line of troops on some designated subdivision.
Trick
Cunningly deceive or outwit
Many people have been tricked by villains with false identity cards
Ploy
Sport; frolic.
Trick
Sketch (a coat of arms) in outline, with the colours indicated by letters or signs.
Ploy
To form a column from a line of troops on some designated subdivision; - the opposite of deploy.
Trick
Intended or used to deceive or mystify, or to create an illusion
A trick question
Ploy
An opening remark intended to secure an advantage for the speaker
Trick
Liable to fail; defective
A trick knee
Ploy
A maneuver in a game or conversation
Trick
An act or procedure intended to achieve an end by deceptive or fraudulent means.
Trick
A mischievous action; a prank
Likes to play tricks on the other students in the dorm.
Trick
A stupid, disgraceful, or childish act
Don't let the kids pull any tricks while we're gone.
Trick
A peculiar trait or characteristic; a mannerism
“Mimicry is the trick by which a moth or other defenseless insect comes to look like a wasp” (Marston Bates).
Trick
A peculiar event with unexpected, often deceptive results
“One of history's cruelest tricks is to take words that sounded good at the time and make them sound pretty stupid” (David Owen).
Trick
A deceptive or illusive appearance; an illusion
This painting plays tricks on the eyes.
Trick
A special skill; a knack
Is there a trick to getting this window to stay up?.
Trick
A convention or specialized skill peculiar to a particular field of activity
Learned the tricks of the winemaking trade.
Trick
A feat of magic or legerdemain.
Trick
A difficult, dexterous, or clever act designed to amuse
Does your dog do any tricks?.
Trick
All the cards played in a single round, one from each player.
Trick
One such round.
Trick
A period or turn of duty, as at the helm of a ship.
Trick
(Slang) A prison term.
Trick
An act of prostitution.
Trick
A prostitute's customer.
Trick
A session carried out by a prostitute with a client.
Trick
(Slang) A robbery or theft.
Trick
To cheat or deceive or to practice trickery or deception.
Trick
Of, relating to, or involving tricks.
Trick
Capable of performing tricks
A trick dog.
Trick
Designed or made for doing a trick or tricks
Trick cards.
Trick dice.
Trick
Weak, defective, or liable to fail
A trick knee.
Trick
Something designed to fool or swindle.
It was just a trick to say that the house was underpriced.
Trick
A single element of a magician's (or any variety entertainer's) act; a magic trick.
And for my next trick, I will pull a wombat out of a duffel bag.
Trick
An entertaining difficult physical action.
That's a nice skateboard, but can you do any tricks on it?
Trick
An effective, clever or quick way of doing something.
Tricks of the trade;
What's the trick of getting this chair to fold up?
Trick
Mischievous or annoying behavior; a prank.
The tricks of boys
They played a crude trick on the teacher.
Trick
(dated) A particular habit or manner; a peculiarity; a trait.
A trick of drumming with the fingers; a trick of frowning
Trick
A knot, braid, or plait of hair.
Trick
(card games) A sequence in which each player plays a card and a winning play is determined.
I was able to take the second trick with the queen of hearts.
Trick
(slang) A sex act, chiefly one performed for payment; an act of prostitution.
Turn a trick
Turn tricks
Trick
(slang) A customer or client of a prostitute.
As the businessman rounded the corner, she thought, "Here comes another trick."
Trick
A term of abuse.
Trick
A daily period of work, especially in shift-based jobs.
Trick
(nautical) A sailor's spell of work at the helm, usually two hours long.
Trick
A toy; a trifle; a plaything.
Trick
(transitive) To fool; to cause to believe something untrue; to deceive.
You tried to trick me when you said that house was underpriced.
Trick
(heraldry) To draw (as opposed to blazon - to describe in words).
Trick
To dress; to decorate; to adorn fantastically; often followed by up, off, or out.
Trick
Involving trickery or deception.
Trick photography
Trick
Able to perform tricks.
A trick pony
Trick
Defective or unreliable.
A trick knee
Trick
Stylish or cool.
Wow, your new sportscar is so trick.
Trick
An artifice or stratagem; a cunning contrivance; a sly procedure, usually with a dishonest intent; as, a trick in trade.
He comes to me for counsel, and I show him a trick.
I know a trick worth two of that.
Trick
A sly, dexterous, or ingenious procedure fitted to puzzle or amuse; as, a bear's tricks; a juggler's tricks.
Trick
Mischievous or annoying behavior; a prank; as, the tricks of boys.
Trick
A particular habit or manner; a peculiarity; a trait; as, a trick of drumming with the fingers; a trick of frowning.
The trick of that voice I do well remember.
He hath a trick of CŒur de Lion's face.
Trick
A knot, braid, or plait of hair.
Trick
The whole number of cards played in one round, and consisting of as many cards as there are players.
On one nice trick depends the general fate.
Trick
A turn; specifically, the spell of a sailor at the helm, - usually two hours.
Trick
A toy; a trifle; a plaything.
Trick
To deceive by cunning or artifice; to impose on; to defraud; to cheat; as, to trick another in the sale of a horse.
Trick
To dress; to decorate; to set off; to adorn fantastically; - often followed by up, off, or out.
People lavish it profusely in tricking up their children in fine clothes, and yet starve their minds.
They are simple, but majestic, records of the feelings of the poet; as little tricked out for the public eye as his diary would have been.
Trick
To draw in outline, as with a pen; to delineate or distinguish without color, as arms, etc., in heraldry.
They forget that they are in the statutes: . . . there they are tricked, they and their pedigrees.
Trick
A cunning or deceitful action or device;
He played a trick on me
He pulled a fast one and got away with it
Trick
A period of work or duty
Trick
An attempt to get you to do something foolish or imprudent;
That offer was a dirty trick
Trick
A ludicrous or grotesque act done for fun and amusement
Trick
An illusory feat; considered magical by naive observers
Trick
Deceive somebody;
We tricked the teacher into thinking that class would be cancelled next week
