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Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
stratagem
noun
EXAMPLES FROM CORPUS
▪ A stratagem I learnt early in my life was to hoard every emblem of success and destroy all evidence of failure.
▪ A summary of acute therapeutic stratagems is provided in Table 3-4.
▪ Actually, neither stratagem is likely to do much.
▪ As a partial solution, Combined Fleet decided to resort to a special stratagem that had already worked successfully once before.
▪ As soon as things get tough our enemies have a clever stratagem.
▪ His stratagem was to cross Riverside Drive and enter the first building, as if he lived there.
▪ They fell for the stratagem and the plot was resumed.
The Collaborative International Dictionary
Stratagem

Stratagem \Strat"a*gem\, n. [F. stratag[`e]me (cf. Sp. estratagema, It. stratagemma), L. strategema, Gr. ?, fr. ? to be leader of an army, fr. ? a general; ? an army (probably as being spread out; cf. Stratum) + ? to lead. See Agent.] An artifice or trick in war for deceiving the enemy; hence, in general, artifice; deceptive device; secret plot; evil machination.

Fit for treasons, stratagems, and spoils.
--Shak.

Those oft are stratagems which error seem, Nor is it Homer nods, but we that dream.
--Pope.

Douglas Harper's Etymology Dictionary
stratagem

"artifice, trick," late 15c., from Middle French strattegeme, stratagème "trick, especially to outwit an enemy" (15c.), from Italian stratagemma, from Latin strategema "artifice, stratagem," from Greek strategema "the act of a general; military stratagem," from strategein "to be a general, command," from strategos "general" (see strategy). Related: Stratagematic; stratagemical. The second -a- is a Romanic misspelling (compare Spanish estratagema).\n

Wiktionary
stratagem

n. A tactic or artifice designed to gain the upper hand, especially one involving underhanded dealings or deception.

WordNet
stratagem
  1. n. a maneuver in a game or conversation [syn: ploy, gambit]

  2. an elaborate or deceitful scheme contrived to deceive or evade; "his testimony was just a contrivance to throw us off the track" [syn: contrivance, dodge]

Wikipedia
Stratagem (Star Trek: Enterprise)

__NOTOC__ "Stratagem" is the sixty-sixth episode of Star Trek: Enterprise, the fourteenth episode from the third season.

Stratagem

Stratagem, Stratagems, or Strategema may refer to:

Usage examples of "stratagem".

By this stratagem the plunderers were put to the sword between both, they not being a match in strength for fighting, and all the ways being blocked up to prevent escape: this put an end to the Etrurians strolling about in so disorderly a manner.

Learn, oh presumptuous mortal, that sacred and unyielding chastity is invulnerable to all the violence of men, and all the stratagems of goblins.

Take not offence at the lack of all such suppletory arts and stratagems in thy servant, said poor Wet-eyes.

Say that to-night as you look around on the grievous famine of the suppletory arts and stratagems of repentance and reformation in your heathenish bedroom.

Will you not, then, make it the beginning of some of the suppletory arts and stratagems of the spiritual life with yourselves?

She was obsessed by the figure of the approaching queen, the queen never at a loss for some vile, unforeseeable stratagem.

Jerry feared that his stratagem might after all be about to damage history beyond repair.

There was a stratagem nicely calculated to get the best from the Castalia Invincibles, Caudell thought- but then, Lewis had always had that knack.

Their combined forces marched against Ccapac Yupanqui, who by a certain ambush, and other stratagems, defeated, routed and captured the two Sinchis Gusmanco Ccapac and Chimu Ccapac, taking vast treasure of gold, silver and other precious things, such as gems, and coloured shells, which these natives value more than silver or gold.

Measuring some twenty-five meters long, with jaws alone some three meters long, their sole stratagem to rip and shake their prey apart, the pliosaurs were the largest carnivores in the history of the planet.

Well would it have been for Dick Varley had he at that time possessed a little more experience of the wiles and stratagems of the Banattees.

She was duped by this stratagem, and compelled me to pass a handkerchief over her face, and was then obliged to look at me.

It was the success of this, his first stratagem, which suggested that long series of frauds which, with the aid of Jim Dutton, selected for his striking points of resemblance to Mark Wylder, had been carried on for so long with such consummate art in a different field.

Vexation inspired me with a deceitful stratagem which arose from a feeling you had caused yourself, and which turned entirely to your honour, for you must admit that you would have shewn a very hard heart if you had not come to my assistance.

I feel certain that you would not have had recourse to that stratagem, if you could have guessed how deeply it would pain me.