smoke and mirrors
smoke and mirrors
Trickery, deception, or misdirection. The candidate has been accused of using smoke and mirrors during the debate to undermine the credibility of his opponent. Before computer generated effects, filmmakers had to use a lot of smoke and mirrors to make fantastic, unbelievable things look realistic in their movies.
See also: and, mirror, smoke
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.
smoke and mirrors
deception and confusion. (Said of statements or more complicated rhetoric used to mislead people rather than inform. Alludes to the way a magician uses optical illusion to create believability while performing a trick. Fixed order.) Most people know that the politician was just using smoke and mirrors to make things look better than they really were. Her report was little more than smoke and mirrors. No one will believe any of it.
See also: and, mirror, smoke
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs.
smoke and mirrors
Smoke and mirrors are words and actions that are intended to deceive or confuse people, especially by making something seem better than it really is. The president claims that his economic plan is free of the smoke and mirrors of previous presidential budget proposals. Thousands of shareholders learned too late that the company's image of success had been created with smoke and mirrors. Note: Magicians sometimes use smoke and mirrors when they are performing tricks, in order to confuse or deceive people.
See also: and, mirror, smoke
Collins COBUILD Idioms Dictionary, 3rd ed.
smoke and mirrors
the obscuring or embellishing of the truth of a situation with misleading or irrelevant information. chiefly North American 1998 Sunday Telegraph Ministers accused the Conservatives of a ‘smoke and mirrors’ con trick.
See also: and, mirror, smoke
Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary
smoke and ˈmirrors
used to describe ways of tricking people or of hiding the truth: He said the government had used smoke and mirrors to raise taxes. The commission has declared war on the smoke and mirrors of sales promotions.See also: and, mirror, smoke
Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary
smoke and mirrors
n. a strategy of deception and cover up. Her entire report was nothing but smoke and mirrors. Who could believe any of it?
See also: and, mirror, smoke
McGraw-Hill's Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions
smoke and mirrors
Something that deceives or distorts the truth: Your explanation is nothing but smoke and mirrors.
See also: and, mirror, smoke
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition.
- (all) done by mirrors
- (all) done with mirrors
- all done with mirrors
- done by mirrors
- done with mirrors
- mirror
- defraud
- defraud (someone) out of (something)
- defraud out of
- fool (one or oneself) into (something)