dirty tricks
plural noun Informal.
Politics.
unethical or illegal campaign practices or pranks intended to disrupt or sabotage the campaigns of opposing candidates.
any similar practices carried out against rival countries or corporations for espionage or commercial purposes.
Origin of dirty tricks
First recorded in 1970–75
OTHER WORDS FROM dirty tricks
dirt·y-trick·er·y [dur-tee-trik-uh-ree] /ˈdɜr tiˈtrɪk ə ri/, noun dirt·y-tricks, adjective dirt·y-trick·ster [dur-tee-trik-ster] /ˈdɜr tiˈtrɪk stər/, nounWords nearby dirty tricks
dirty one's hands,
dirty pool,
dirty realism,
dirty rice,
dirty trick,
dirty tricks,
dirty war,
dirty word,
dirty work,
dirty-minded,
dis
British Dictionary definitions for dirty trick
dirty trick
noun
a malicious and contemptible action
(plural)
- underhand activity and machinations in political or governmental affairs
- (as modifier)dirty-tricks operation
Idioms and Phrases with dirty trick
dirty tricks
Undercover or clandestine operations and deceitful stratagems in politics and espionage. For example, This campaign has been dominated by the dirty tricks of both sides. The adjective dirty here is used in the sense of “unethical” or “unfair.” The term originally was applied to covert intelligence operations carried out by the Central Intelligence Agency, whose planning directorate was nicknamed “department of dirty tricks.” It later was extended to underhanded activity intended to undermine political opponents and commercial rivals. [1940s]