chicanery

[ shi-key-nuh-ree, chi- ]

/ ʃɪˈkeɪ nə ri, tʃɪ- /

trickery or deception by quibbling or sophistry: He resorted to the worst flattery and chicanery to win the job.

a quibble or subterfuge used to trick, deceive, or evade.

Origin of chicanery

From the French word chicanerie, dating back to 1605–15. See chicane, -ery

1 fraud, deception, knavery.

2 evasion.

Fans of today adore the cheaters of the past, precisely because of their chicanery.

Alex Rodriguez Suspension Is a Sad Moment for Baseball |Michael Brendan Dougherty |August 5, 2013 |DAILY BEAST
A wearisome period of endless dispute, chicanery, and wrangling followed this decision.

The Story Of Ireland |Emily Lawless
Only falsehood fears investigation; only chicanery dreads the light.

The Pearl of India |Maturin M. Ballou
A delicate webwork of forgery, bribery, chicanery and falsehood.

The Misplaced Battleship |Harry Harrison (AKA Henry Maxwell Dempsey)

It is made a medium for chicanery and trickery of the most atrocious form.

Sport and Work on the Nepaul Frontier |James Inglis
To be defeated by rascality, by a clever turn of chicanery, never disturbed him—that was legitimate.

Max Fargus |Owen Johnson

chicanery

/ (ʃɪˈkeɪnərɪ) /

verbal deception or trickery, esp in legal quibbling; dishonest or sharp practice

a trick, deception, or quibble