PHRASE
If someone tries
every trick in the book
, they try every possible thing that they can think of in order to achieve something. [INFORMAL
] □
Companies are using every trick in the book to stay one step in front of their competitors.
8
PHRASE
If you say that something is a
trick of the light
, you mean that what you are seeing is an effect caused by the way that the light falls on things, and does not really exist in the way that it appears. □
Her head appears to be on fire but that is only a trick of the light.
9
PHRASE
If you say that someone does not
miss a trick
, you mean that they always know what is happening and take advantage of every situation. [INFORMAL
]
10
PHRASE
The
tricks of the trade
are the quick and clever ways of doing something that are known by people who regularly do a particular activity.
11
PHRASE
If you say that someone is
up to
their
tricks
or
up to
their
old tricks
, you disapprove of them because they are behaving in the dishonest or deceitful way in which they typically behave. [INFORMAL
, DISAPPROVAL
] □
I have no respect for my father who, having remarried, is still up to his old tricks.
trick|ery
/tr
I
kəri/ N‑UNCOUNT
Trickery
is the use of dishonest methods in order to achieve something.
trick|le
/tr
I
k
ə
l/ (trickles
, trickling
, trickled
)
1
VERB
When a liquid
trickles
, or when you
trickle
it, it flows slowly in very small amounts. □ [V
prep/adv]
A tear trickled down the old man's cheek.
□ [V
n]
Trickle water gently over the back of your baby's head.
[Also V
] ● N‑COUNT
[usu sing]
Trickle
is also a noun. □ [+ of
]
There was not so much as a trickle of water.
2
VERB
When people or things
trickle
in a particular direction, they move there slowly in small groups or amounts, rather than all together. □ [V
adv/prep]
Some donations are already trickling in.
● N‑COUNT
[usu sing]
Trickle
is also a noun. □
The flood of cars has now slowed to a trickle.
tri
ckle-down
ADJ
[ADJ
n] The
trickle-down
theory is the theory that benefits given to people at the top of a system will eventually be passed on to people lower down the system. For example, if the rich receive tax cuts, they will pass these benefits on to the poor by creating jobs. □
The government is not simply relying on trickle-down economics to tackle poverty.
tri
ck or trea
t
N‑UNCOUNT
Trick or treat
is an activity in which children knock on the doors of houses at Halloween and shout 'trick or treat'. If the person who answers the door does not give the children a treat, such as sweets or candy, they play a trick on him or her.
tri
ck que
s|tion
(
trick questions
) N‑COUNT
If someone asks you a
trick question
, they ask you a question which is very difficult to answer, for example because there is a hidden difficulty or because the answer that seems obvious is not the correct one.
trick|ster
/tr
I
kstə
r
/ (tricksters
) N‑COUNT
A
trickster
is a person who deceives or cheats people, often in order to get money from them. [INFORMAL
]
tricky
/tr
I
ki/ (trickier
, trickiest
)
1
ADJ
If you describe a task or problem as
tricky
, you mean that it is difficult to do or deal with. □
Parking can be tricky in the town centre.
2
ADJ
[usu ADJ
n] If you describe a person as
tricky
, you mean that they are likely to deceive you or cheat you.
tri|col|our
/tr
I
kələ
r
/ (tricolours
) also
tricolor
N‑COUNT
A
tricolour
is a flag which is made up of blocks of three different colours.
tri|cy|cle
/tra
I
s
I
k
ə
l/ (tricycles
) N‑COUNT
A
tricycle
is a cycle with three wheels, two at the back and one at the front. Tricycles are usually ridden by children.
tried
/tra
I
d/
1
ADJ
[ADJ
and
adj]
Tried
is used in the expressions
tried and tested
,
tried and trusted
, and
tried and true
, which describe a product or method that has already been used and has been found to be successful. □
…over 1000 tried-and-tested recipes.