(n.) An artifice or trick in war for deceiving the enemy; a deceptive device; a secret plot\.

action ad hoc measure alibi answer apology art artful dodge artifice bag of tricks blind bluff bosey cabal catch chicanery chouse cloak collusion color complicity complot confederacy connivance conspiracy contrivance contriving countermove counterplot coup course of action cover cover story cover-up covin craft curve curve-ball cute trick deceit deep-laid plot demarche design device dirty deal dirty trick dodge effort engineering excuse expedient facade fakement fast deal feint fetch ficelle finagling finesse frame-up front gambit game gimmick gloss googly grift guise handle hocus-pocus improvisation intrigue joker juggle jugglery jury-rig jury-rigged expedient knavery lame excuse last expedient last resort last shift little game locus standi lure machination makeshift maneuver maneuvering manipulation mask means measure move ostensible motive pass pis aller plan play plot plotting ploy poor excuse pretense pretension pretext protestation public motive put-off racket red herring refuge resort resource rigging ruse scheme schemery scheming screen scurvy trick semblance shake-up sham shift show sleight sleight of hand sleight-of-hand trick smoke screen solution stalking-horse step stopgap strategy stroke stroke of policy subterfuge tactic temporary expedient trick trickery trump underplot varnish veil web of intrigue wile wily device wire-pulling working hypothesis working proposition