(n.) Mean or unfair artifice to perplex a cause and obscure the truth; stratagem; sharp practice; sophistry.

art artful dodge artifice bag of tricks baseness bickering blind bluff boggling bosey captiousness catch caviling cheating chicane chouse collusion connivance connivery conspiracy contrivance coup covin craft curve curve-ball cute trick deceit deception degradation design device deviousness dirty deal dirty trick dishonesty dodge dodgery dodging double-dealing duplicity equivocation evasion expedient fakement fast deal feint fencing fetch ficelle foul play fraud furtiveness gambit game gimmick googly grift hairsplitting hanky-panky hedging hocus-pocus intrigue joker juggle jugglery knavery knavishness little game logic-chopping machination maneuver moral turpitude move nit-picking paltering parrying pass pettifoggery pettifogging plot ploy prevarication pussyfooting quibbling racket rascality rascalry red herring reprobacy roguery roguishness ruse scampishness scheme scoundrelism scurvy trick sharp practice shift shifting shuffling sidestepping skulduggery sleight sleight of hand sleight-of-hand trick sophistry stratagem strategy subterfuge supercherie surreptitiousness tactic tergiversation trichoschistism trick trickery turpitude underhand dealing underhandedness vileness villainousness villainy wile wily device