Sleight (of hand)

sleight







Y

[slahyt] 



D



–noun 

1. skill; dexterity.

2. an artifice; stratagem.

3. cunning; craft. 





C



sleight of hand 

 

The sleight is pronounced just like slight, and it means "manual dexterity, usually used to deceive" or "a trick produced by it."





　

Due to its history-spanning structure, blank-page title character and technical sleight of hand, the film "Benjamin Button" most recalls is "Forrest Gump," but in a good way; 



it is entirely possible to dislike the 1994 smash and embrace this one, which resists every opportunity for mawkish and sentimental displays. 



Still, it is no coincidence that Eric Roth wrote both of them, and Roth -- who followed many other writers, including credited co-story author Robin Swicord, in trying to crack the long-gestating project -- has veered far from the specifics of F. Scott Fitzgerald's 1921 short story.





witticism

conundrum tantrum rummage Fray 

pun

The title 10 Things I Hate About You just begs for groan-[inducing] [puns] about its film's quality. 



repartee 

gumption 

shrewd cagey Dingy

astute 

Still, Blanchett is [astute] enough to mix and match her projects.

Mary Zophres' costumes and an [astutely] selected combo of Southern California locations to create a superior post-war, small-town period feel.



acumen

of mind, shrewd judgment

proof of her [business] acumen and romantic imagination

Her [financial] acumen will be a great help. 

acuity

thought or senses

His [visual] acuity was remarkable. 

anesthesia

acuteness

quickness in both sense and mind

pain

The acuteness of the [toothache] drove all thought from my mind.

Crypto