strat|a|gem

strat|a|gem «STRAT uh juhm», noun.

1. a scheme or trick for deceiving an enemy: »

The spy got into the castle by the stratagem of dressing as a beggar.

2. a trick; trickery.

╂[< Middle French stratagème, learned borrowing of Latin stratēgēma < Greek stradmegēma, -atos < stratēgeîn be a general < stratēgós general; see etym. under strategy (Cf. ↑strategy)]

Synonym Study 1, 2 Stratagem, ruse, artifice mean a scheme to trick or mislead others. Stratagem applies to a careful and sometimes complicated scheme for gaining advantage against an enemy or opponent: »

a clever political stratagem. The general planned a stratagem to trap the enemy.

Ruse is applied to any trick used to hide one's real purpose or present a false impression, often as a means of cheating another: »

Her headache was a ruse to leave early. The shoplifter knew many ruses to distract attention from his stealing.

Artifice emphasizes the ingenuity involved and is sometimes applied to a device built primarily to mislead: »

The Trojan horse was the artifice used by the Greeks to gain entry into Troy.