mastermind

[ mas-ter-mahynd, mah-ster- ]

/ ˈmæs tərˌmaɪnd, ˈmɑ stər- /

to plan and direct (a usually complex project or activity), especially skillfully: Two colonels had masterminded the revolt.

a person who originates or is primarily responsible for the execution of a particular idea, project, or the like: the masterminds of company policy.

Origin of mastermind

First recorded in 1710–20; master + mind

Zubaydah indentified Khalid Sheikh Mohammed as the mastermind of the 9/11 attacks.

The Luxury Homes That Torture and Your Tax Dollars Built |Michael Daly |December 12, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
Self-described 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed was also kept at Cobalt after his March 2003 in Pakistan.

Inside the CIA’s Sadistic Dungeon |Tim Mak |December 9, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
Surely only an advanced hacker could mastermind such a fiendish act — right?

A Female Writer’s New Milestone: Her First Death Threat |Annie Gaus |December 1, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
But the mastermind of the Hamas kidnapping strategy is al-Arouri, Israeli officials say.

Israel Bombs Gaza While Hamas’ Kidnapping Mastermind Sits in Turkey |Eli Lake |July 1, 2014 |DAILY BEAST

“Not your typical criminal or mastermind,” her attorney, Marcus Sierra, told a local newspaper.

There is No Stealing in Baseball! |Michael Daly |April 13, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
As for Salem, it looks as though a mastermind had been at work, I see it in everything.

No Defense, Complete |Gilbert Parker
A banquet extraordinary was shortly to take place, and M. Sapin, the mastermind, came to beg of Regali the recipe for his ragout.

The Orchard of Tears |Sax Rohmer
This girl was obviously the assistant to the Mastermind who originated the scheme.

The Misplaced Battleship |Harry Harrison (AKA Henry Maxwell Dempsey)
He said to Professor Garet, "All right, mastermind, untie me."

And Then the Town Took Off |Richard Wilson
Ravick seemed to have gotten the idea that Joe Kivelson was the mastermind of the hunters' cabal against him.

Four-Day Planet |Henry Beam Piper

mastermind

/ (ˈmɑːstəˌmaɪnd) /

(tr) to plan and direct (a complex undertaking) he masterminded the robbery

a person of great intelligence or executive talent, esp one who directs an undertaking