See finesse in All languages combined, or Wiktionary
Download JSON data for finesse meaning in English (36.4kB)
{
"etymology_templates": [
{
"args": {
"1": "en",
"2": "enm",
"3": "finesse",
"t": "degree of excellence; (of metal) fineness, purity"
},
"expansion": "Middle English finesse (“degree of excellence; (of metal) fineness, purity”)",
"name": "inh"
},
{
"args": {
"1": "en",
"2": "frm",
"3": "finesse"
},
"expansion": "Middle French finesse",
"name": "der"
},
{
"args": {
"1": "en",
"2": "fro",
"3": "finesse",
"4": "",
"5": "fineness; delicacy; slenderness"
},
"expansion": "Old French finesse (“fineness; delicacy; slenderness”)",
"name": "der"
},
{
"args": {
"1": "fro",
"2": "fine"
},
"expansion": "fine",
"name": "m"
},
{
"args": {
"1": "fro",
"2": "fin",
"3": "",
"4": "fine, thin"
},
"expansion": "fin (“fine, thin”)",
"name": "m"
},
{
"args": {
"1": "en",
"2": "la",
"3": "fīnis",
"4": "",
"5": "end"
},
"expansion": "Latin fīnis (“end”)",
"name": "der"
},
{
"args": {
"1": "enm",
"2": "fīn",
"3": "",
"4": "of superior quality; precious, valuable; admirable, pleasing; pure, refined; fineness, purity; delicate, exquisite, fine; sharp, thin"
},
"expansion": "Middle English fīn (“of superior quality; precious, valuable; admirable, pleasing; pure, refined; fineness, purity; delicate, exquisite, fine; sharp, thin”)",
"name": "cog"
},
{
"args": {
"1": "fro",
"2": "-esse",
"pos": "suffix forming nouns describing the condition of being something"
},
"expansion": "-esse (suffix forming nouns describing the condition of being something)",
"name": "m"
}
],
"etymology_text": "From Middle English finesse (“degree of excellence; (of metal) fineness, purity”), from Middle French finesse, Old French finesse (“fineness; delicacy; slenderness”), from fine, fin (“fine, thin”) (from Latin fīnis (“end”); compare Middle English fīn (“of superior quality; precious, valuable; admirable, pleasing; pure, refined; fineness, purity; delicate, exquisite, fine; sharp, thin”)) + -esse (suffix forming nouns describing the condition of being something).\nThe verb is derived from the noun.",
"forms": [
{
"form": "finesses",
"tags": [
"plural"
]
}
],
"head_templates": [
{
"args": {
"1": "~"
},
"expansion": "finesse (countable and uncountable, plural finesses)",
"name": "en-noun"
}
],
"hyphenation": [
"fin‧esse"
],
"lang": "English",
"lang_code": "en",
"pos": "noun",
"senses": [
{
"categories": [],
"examples": [
{
"ref": "1829, Moses Greenleaf, “Grants and Sales of Land”, in A Survey of the State of Maine, in Reference to Its Geographical Features, Statistics and Political Economy, Portland, Me.: Published by Shirley and Hyde, →OCLC; reprinted Augusta, Me.: Maine State Museum, June 1970, →OCLC, page 340",
"text": "It is not impossible that this bold attempt to wrest from this State and Nation, so large and important a frontier territory; with the insidious arts, and unblushing finesse and chicanery, with which the British pretensions have been managed, may yet awaken the American people from their apathy on the subject— […]",
"type": "quotation"
},
{
"ref": "1836, De Voltaire, Abner Kneeland, “FINESSE, FINENESS, &c.: Of the Different Significations of This Word”, in [J[ohn] G. Gorton], transl., A Philosophical Dictionary; from the French of M. de Voltaire. With Additional Notes, both Critical and Argumentative, 1st American stereotype edition, Boston, Mass.: Printed and Published by J[ohn] Q[uincey] Adams, →OCLC, page 344, column 1",
"text": "Finesse is not exactly subtlety; we draw a person into a snare with finesse; we escape from it with subtlety. We act with finesse, and we play a subtle trick. Distrust is inspired by an unsparing use of finesse; yet we almost always deceive ourselves if we too generally suspect it.",
"type": "quotation"
},
{
"ref": "1840, John Lingard, chapter I, in A History of England, from the First Invasion by the Romans. … Complete in Eight Volumes, 5th edition, volume IV, Paris: A[nthony] & W[illiam] Galignani and Co., […], →OCLC, page 29",
"text": "The Treaty of Madrid called into action the diplomatic finesse, or rather the low cunning of the English cabinet.",
"type": "quotation"
},
{
"ref": "2021 February 2, Katharine Murphy, The Guardian",
"text": "Kelly and Christensen, and their relentless courtship of people who like to position themselves against mainstream orthodoxy, allow that welcoming signal to be sent without senior players in government being caught on the sticky paper (apart from Michael McCormack, who blunders in periodically trying to court the politically estranged with all the finesse of an exploding cigar).",
"type": "quotation"
}
],
"glosses": [
"Skill in the handling or manipulation of a situation."
],
"id": "en-finesse-en-noun-s3tRwGZA",
"links": [
[
"Skill",
"skill"
],
[
"handling",
"handling#Noun"
],
[
"manipulation",
"manipulation"
],
[
"situation",
"situation"
]
],
"raw_glosses": [
"(uncountable) Skill in the handling or manipulation of a situation."
],
"synonyms": [
{
"word": "finessing"
}
],
"tags": [
"uncountable"
],
"translations": [
{
"_dis1": "66 30 2 2",
"code": "bg",
"lang": "Bulgarian",
"roman": "fines",
"sense": "skill in handling or manipulation of a situation",
"tags": [
"masculine"
],
"word": "финес"
},
{
"_dis1": "66 30 2 2",
"code": "fi",
"lang": "Finnish",
"sense": "skill in handling or manipulation of a situation",
"word": "taitavuus"
},
{
"_dis1": "66 30 2 2",
"code": "fi",
"lang": "Finnish",
"sense": "skill in handling or manipulation of a situation",
"word": "hienostuneisuus"
},
{
"_dis1": "66 30 2 2",
"code": "gl",
"lang": "Galician",
"sense": "skill in handling or manipulation of a situation",
"tags": [
"masculine"
],
"word": "tento"
},
{
"_dis1": "66 30 2 2",
"code": "de",
"lang": "German",
"sense": "skill in handling or manipulation of a situation",
"tags": [
"feminine"
],
"word": "Raffinesse"
},
{
"_dis1": "66 30 2 2",
"code": "de",
"lang": "German",
"sense": "skill in handling or manipulation of a situation",
"tags": [
"neuter"
],
"word": "Geschick"
},
{
"_dis1": "66 30 2 2",
"code": "pl",
"lang": "Polish",
"sense": "skill in handling or manipulation of a situation",
"tags": [
"feminine"
],
"word": "finezja"
}
]
},
{
"categories": [],
"examples": [
{
"ref": "1791, J[ohn] Long, “Visit Fort George.—Remarkable Instance of Courage in a Mohawk Indian.—Return to England.—Enter into a New Engagement, and Return to Canada, with Merchandise for the Indian Commerce.”, in Voyages and Travels of an Indian Interpreter and Trader, Describing the Manners and Customs of the North American Indians; […], London: Printed for the author; and sold by Robson, […], →OCLC, page 164",
"text": "An Indian known by the name of Silver Heels, from his superior agility, as well as his admirable finesse in the art of war, and who had killed more of the enemy than any one of the tribes in alliance with Great Britain, accidentally came into the fort just before the soldier was to receive his punishment, and expressed his displeasure that a man should be so shamefully disgraced.",
"type": "quotation"
}
],
"glosses": [
"The property of having elegance, grace, refinement, or skill."
],
"id": "en-finesse-en-noun-HKCzJCuv",
"links": [
[
"property",
"property"
],
[
"elegance",
"elegance"
],
[
"grace",
"grace"
],
[
"refinement",
"refinement"
],
[
"skill",
"skill"
]
],
"raw_glosses": [
"(uncountable) The property of having elegance, grace, refinement, or skill."
],
"tags": [
"uncountable"
],
"translations": [
{
"_dis1": "34 63 1 1",
"code": "ar",
"lang": "Arabic",
"roman": "barāʕa",
"sense": "property of having elegance, grace, refinement, or skill",
"tags": [
"feminine"
],
"word": "بَرَاعَة"
},
{
"_dis1": "34 63 1 1",
"code": "yue",
"lang": "Chinese Cantonese",
"roman": "sau² wun²",
"sense": "property of having elegance, grace, refinement, or skill",
"word": "手腕"
},
{
"_dis1": "34 63 1 1",
"code": "cmn",
"lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
"roman": "shǒuwàn",
"sense": "property of having elegance, grace, refinement, or skill",
"word": "手腕"
},
{
"_dis1": "34 63 1 1",
"code": "cmn",
"lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
"roman": "zhìqiǎo",
"sense": "property of having elegance, grace, refinement, or skill",
"word": "智巧"
},
{
"_dis1": "34 63 1 1",
"code": "fi",
"lang": "Finnish",
"sense": "property of having elegance, grace, refinement, or skill",
"word": "finessi"
},
{
"_dis1": "34 63 1 1",
"code": "fi",
"lang": "Finnish",
"sense": "property of having elegance, grace, refinement, or skill",
"word": "hienostuneisuus"
},
{
"_dis1": "34 63 1 1",
"code": "fr",
"lang": "French",
"sense": "property of having elegance, grace, refinement, or skill",
"tags": [
"feminine"
],
"word": "finesse"
},
{
"_dis1": "34 63 1 1",
"code": "ka",
"lang": "Georgian",
"roman": "daxvec̣iloba",
"sense": "property of having elegance, grace, refinement, or skill",
"word": "დახვეწილობა"
},
{
"_dis1": "34 63 1 1",
"code": "de",
"lang": "German",
"sense": "property of having elegance, grace, refinement, or skill",
"tags": [
"feminine"
],
"word": "Finesse"
},
{
"_dis1": "34 63 1 1",
"code": "de",
"lang": "German",
"sense": "property of having elegance, grace, refinement, or skill",
"tags": [
"feminine"
],
"word": "Feinheit"
},
{
"_dis1": "34 63 1 1",
"code": "de",
"lang": "German",
"sense": "property of having elegance, grace, refinement, or skill",
"tags": [
"feminine"
],
"word": "Raffinesse"
},
{
"_dis1": "34 63 1 1",
"alt": "ぎこう",
"code": "ja",
"lang": "Japanese",
"roman": "gikō",
"sense": "property of having elegance, grace, refinement, or skill",
"word": "技巧"
},
{
"_dis1": "34 63 1 1",
"code": "ja",
"lang": "Japanese",
"note": "匙加減 (さじかげん, sajikagen, literally “spoon moderation”)",
"sense": "property of having elegance, grace, refinement, or skill"
},
{
"_dis1": "34 63 1 1",
"code": "mk",
"lang": "Macedonian",
"roman": "finesa",
"sense": "property of having elegance, grace, refinement, or skill",
"tags": [
"feminine"
],
"word": "финеса"
},
{
"_dis1": "34 63 1 1",
"code": "pl",
"lang": "Polish",
"sense": "property of having elegance, grace, refinement, or skill",
"tags": [
"feminine"
],
"word": "przebiegłość"
},
{
"_dis1": "34 63 1 1",
"code": "pl",
"lang": "Polish",
"sense": "property of having elegance, grace, refinement, or skill",
"tags": [
"feminine"
],
"word": "finezja"
},
{
"_dis1": "34 63 1 1",
"code": "pt",
"lang": "Portuguese",
"sense": "property of having elegance, grace, refinement, or skill",
"word": "fineza"
},
{
"_dis1": "34 63 1 1",
"code": "pt",
"lang": "Portuguese",
"sense": "property of having elegance, grace, refinement, or skill",
"tags": [
"masculine"
],
"word": "fino"
},
{
"_dis1": "34 63 1 1",
"code": "ru",
"english": "grace",
"lang": "Russian",
"roman": "izjáščestvo",
"sense": "property of having elegance, grace, refinement, or skill",
"tags": [
"neuter"
],
"word": "изя́щество"
},
{
"_dis1": "34 63 1 1",
"code": "ru",
"english": "skill",
"lang": "Russian",
"roman": "lóvkostʹ",
"sense": "property of having elegance, grace, refinement, or skill",
"tags": [
"feminine"
],
"word": "ло́вкость"
},
{
"_dis1": "34 63 1 1",
"code": "ru",
"english": "subtlety",
"lang": "Russian",
"roman": "tónkostʹ",
"sense": "property of having elegance, grace, refinement, or skill",
"tags": [
"feminine"
],
"word": "то́нкость"
},
{
"_dis1": "34 63 1 1",
"code": "es",
"lang": "Spanish",
"sense": "property of having elegance, grace, refinement, or skill",
"tags": [
"feminine"
],
"word": "fineza"
},
{
"_dis1": "34 63 1 1",
"code": "sv",
"lang": "Swedish",
"sense": "property of having elegance, grace, refinement, or skill",
"tags": [
"common-gender"
],
"word": "finess"
}
]
},
{
"categories": [
{
"_dis": "4 2 12 7 16 14 14 6 6 19",
"kind": "other",
"name": "English entries with language name categories using raw markup",
"parents": [
"Entries with language name categories using raw markup",
"Entry maintenance"
],
"source": "w+disamb"
},
{
"_dis": "4 2 13 6 17 17 17 5 5 14",
"kind": "other",
"name": "English entries with topic categories using raw markup",
"parents": [
"Entries with topic categories using raw markup",
"Entry maintenance"
],
"source": "w+disamb"
}
],
"examples": [
{
"ref": "1836, S[ereno] E[dwards] Dwight, “The Law of Incest”, in The Hebrew Wife: Or The Law of Marriage Examined in Relation to the Lawfulness of Polygamy and to the Extent of the Law of Incest, New York, N.Y.: Leavitt, Lord & Co., […]; Boston, Mass.: Crocker & Brewster, →OCLC, page 181",
"text": "The first inroads on our laws of incest were made at the instigation, and by the secret management, of some of our \"prime nobles,\" who had either seduced, or married, or pledged themselves to marry a wife's sister; and who wished by this finesse, to escape, at once, public odium and personal responsibility; […]",
"type": "quotation"
},
{
"ref": "1984, Gregory Paul P. Meyjes, “An Auxiliary Language for the World: General Outline”, in The Choice of an Auxiliary Language for the World: Perspectives within the Context of Contemporary Linguistics, [Munich]: GRIN Verlag; Open Publishing GmbH, section 2.1.2.3 (All Kinds of Linguistics Communication), page 6",
"text": "[A] simplified version of English, called Basic English, […] is mainly intended for tangibles like business and scientific cooperation, and the designer of which renounces the intention of catering for the finesses of cultural exchange or diplomacy.",
"type": "quotation"
}
],
"glosses": [
"An adroit manoeuvre."
],
"id": "en-finesse-en-noun-eS4NXJOT",
"links": [
[
"adroit",
"adroit"
],
[
"manoeuvre",
"manoeuvre#Noun"
]
],
"raw_glosses": [
"(countable) An adroit manoeuvre."
],
"tags": [
"countable"
],
"translations": [
{
"_dis1": "6 3 88 2",
"code": "bg",
"lang": "Bulgarian",
"roman": "umela postǎpka",
"sense": "adroit manoeuvre",
"tags": [
"feminine"
],
"word": "умела постъпка"
},
{
"_dis1": "6 3 88 2",
"code": "fi",
"lang": "Finnish",
"sense": "adroit manoeuvre",
"word": "hyvä veto"
}
]
},
{
"categories": [
{
"kind": "topical",
"langcode": "en",
"name": "Card games",
"orig": "en:Card games",
"parents": [
"Games",
"Recreation",
"Human activity",
"Human behaviour",
"Human",
"All topics",
"Fundamental"
],
"source": "w"
},
{
"_dis": "6 4 9 17 9 5 5 7 17 21",
"kind": "topical",
"langcode": "en",
"name": "Ball games",
"orig": "en:Ball games",
"parents": [
"Sports",
"Human activity",
"Human behaviour",
"Human",
"All topics",
"Fundamental"
],
"source": "w+disamb"
}
],
"examples": [
{
"ref": "1850, “Short Whist: Its System and Science”, in Henry G[eorge] Bohn, editor, The Hand-book of Games: Comprising New or Carefully Revised Treatises on Whist, Piquet, Ecarté, Lansquenet, Boston, Quadrille, Cribbage, and Other Card Games; […] (Bohn’s Scientific Library), London: Henry G[eorge] Bohn, […], →OCLC, part IV (Whist by the Editor), page 185",
"text": "The Finesse Proper.—When, upon the invite of your partner, you refuse to force with your strongest card, or one of equal strength, you are in the case of the finesse proper. Holding the ace, queen, and ten, and taking with the queen, is a simple finesse; that is, a finesse to the king.",
"type": "quotation"
},
{
"ref": "2013 October 22, Joe Blatnick, “Finesses (One More Time)”, in Bridge: A Thinker’s Game: How You Think is More Important than What and Thinking Comes before Doing, Bloomington, Ind.: AuthorHouse, page 134",
"text": "Here we are going to examine finesses from a negative standpoint. Those players who take finesses wherever and whenever they appear will seldom give any thought to what might happen if the finesse were to lose. And this is why taking or shunning a finesse is an option which shouldn't be exercised without much prior thought.",
"type": "quotation"
}
],
"glosses": [
"In bridge, whist, etc.: a technique which allows one to win a trick, usually by playing a card when it is thought that a card that can beat it is held by another player whose turn is over."
],
"id": "en-finesse-en-noun-G152qdSM",
"links": [
[
"card game",
"card game"
],
[
"bridge",
"bridge#Noun"
],
[
"whist",
"whist"
],
[
"technique",
"technique"
],
[
"win",
"win#Verb"
],
[
"trick",
"trick#Noun"
],
[
"playing",
"play#Verb"
],
[
"card",
"card#Noun"
],
[
"beat",
"beat#Verb"
],
[
"held",
"hold#Verb"
],
[
"player",
"player"
],
[
"turn",
"turn#Noun"
]
],
"raw_glosses": [
"(countable, card games) In bridge, whist, etc.: a technique which allows one to win a trick, usually by playing a card when it is thought that a card that can beat it is held by another player whose turn is over."
],
"tags": [
"countable"
],
"topics": [
"card-games",
"games"
],
"translations": [
{
"_dis1": "8 10 12 71",
"code": "bg",
"lang": "Bulgarian",
"roman": "impas",
"sense": "(card games) technique to win a trick",
"tags": [
"masculine"
],
"word": "импас"
},
{
"_dis1": "8 10 12 71",
"code": "fr",
"lang": "French",
"sense": "(card games) technique to win a trick",
"tags": [
"feminine"
],
"word": "impasse"
},
{
"_dis1": "8 10 12 71",
"code": "pl",
"lang": "Polish",
"sense": "(card games) technique to win a trick",
"tags": [
"masculine"
],
"word": "impas"
},
{
"_dis1": "8 10 12 71",
"code": "ru",
"lang": "Russian",
"roman": "prorézyvanije",
"sense": "(card games) technique to win a trick",
"tags": [
"neuter"
],
"word": "проре́зывание"
}
]
}
],
"sounds": [
{
"ipa": "/fɪˈnɛs/",
"tags": [
"Received-Pronunciation"
]
},
{
"ipa": "/fɨ-/",
"tags": [
"Received-Pronunciation"
]
},
{
"ipa": "/fɪˈnɛs/",
"tags": [
"General-American"
]
},
{
"ipa": "/fə-/",
"tags": [
"General-American"
]
},
{
"audio": "en-au-finesse.ogg",
"mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/a/ab/En-au-finesse.ogg/En-au-finesse.ogg.mp3",
"ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/ab/En-au-finesse.ogg",
"tags": [
"Australia"
],
"text": "Audio (AU)"
}
],
"word": "finesse"
}
{
"derived": [
{
"_dis1": "0 0 0 0 0 0",
"word": "finessable"
},
{
"_dis1": "0 0 0 0 0 0",
"word": "finesser"
},
{
"_dis1": "0 0 0 0 0 0",
"tags": [
"noun"
],
"word": "finessing"
},
{
"_dis1": "0 0 0 0 0 0",
"word": "outfinesse"
}
],
"etymology_templates": [
{
"args": {
"1": "en",
"2": "enm",
"3": "finesse",
"t": "degree of excellence; (of metal) fineness, purity"
},
"expansion": "Middle English finesse (“degree of excellence; (of metal) fineness, purity”)",
"name": "inh"
},
{
"args": {
"1": "en",
"2": "frm",
"3": "finesse"
},
"expansion": "Middle French finesse",
"name": "der"
},
{
"args": {
"1": "en",
"2": "fro",
"3": "finesse",
"4": "",
"5": "fineness; delicacy; slenderness"
},
"expansion": "Old French finesse (“fineness; delicacy; slenderness”)",
"name": "der"
},
{
"args": {
"1": "fro",
"2": "fine"
},
"expansion": "fine",
"name": "m"
},
{
"args": {
"1": "fro",
"2": "fin",
"3": "",
"4": "fine, thin"
},
"expansion": "fin (“fine, thin”)",
"name": "m"
},
{
"args": {
"1": "en",
"2": "la",
"3": "fīnis",
"4": "",
"5": "end"
},
"expansion": "Latin fīnis (“end”)",
"name": "der"
},
{
"args": {
"1": "enm",
"2": "fīn",
"3": "",
"4": "of superior quality; precious, valuable; admirable, pleasing; pure, refined; fineness, purity; delicate, exquisite, fine; sharp, thin"
},
"expansion": "Middle English fīn (“of superior quality; precious, valuable; admirable, pleasing; pure, refined; fineness, purity; delicate, exquisite, fine; sharp, thin”)",
"name": "cog"
},
{
"args": {
"1": "fro",
"2": "-esse",
"pos": "suffix forming nouns describing the condition of being something"
},
"expansion": "-esse (suffix forming nouns describing the condition of being something)",
"name": "m"
}
],
"etymology_text": "From Middle English finesse (“degree of excellence; (of metal) fineness, purity”), from Middle French finesse, Old French finesse (“fineness; delicacy; slenderness”), from fine, fin (“fine, thin”) (from Latin fīnis (“end”); compare Middle English fīn (“of superior quality; precious, valuable; admirable, pleasing; pure, refined; fineness, purity; delicate, exquisite, fine; sharp, thin”)) + -esse (suffix forming nouns describing the condition of being something).\nThe verb is derived from the noun.",
"forms": [
{
"form": "finesses",
"tags": [
"present",
"singular",
"third-person"
]
},
{
"form": "finessing",
"tags": [
"participle",
"present"
]
},
{
"form": "finessed",
"tags": [
"participle",
"past"
]
},
{
"form": "finessed",
"tags": [
"past"
]
}
],
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{
"args": {},
"expansion": "finesse (third-person singular simple present finesses, present participle finessing, simple past and past participle finessed)",
"name": "en-verb"
}
],
"hyphenation": [
"fin‧esse"
],
"lang": "English",
"lang_code": "en",
"pos": "verb",
"senses": [
{
"categories": [
{
"kind": "other",
"name": "American English",
"parents": [],
"source": "w"
},
{
"kind": "other",
"name": "Canadian English",
"parents": [],
"source": "w"
},
{
"kind": "topical",
"langcode": "en",
"name": "Politics",
"orig": "en:Politics",
"parents": [
"Society",
"All topics",
"Fundamental"
],
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},
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"kind": "other",
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"Entries with language name categories using raw markup",
"Entry maintenance"
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"source": "w+disamb"
},
{
"_dis": "4 2 13 6 17 17 17 5 5 14",
"kind": "other",
"name": "English entries with topic categories using raw markup",
"parents": [
"Entries with topic categories using raw markup",
"Entry maintenance"
],
"source": "w+disamb"
}
],
"examples": [
{
"ref": "1835, chapter XIV, in Finesse. … In Two Volumes, volume I, London: Richard Bentley, […], →OCLC, page 240",
"text": "Distressed as she was, she rose the next morning determined to contend with her feelings,—to think no more of Trevor,—and to finesse no more for a husband—she had had enough of it.",
"type": "quotation"
},
{
"ref": "2010 May, Kim Atkinson, “Working among the Good & Bad”, in Island Parent Magazine, Victoria, B.C.: Krayenhoff-Holland Enterprises, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 2019-02-05; quoted in Veronica Pacini-Ketchabaw, Fikile Nxumalo, Laurie Kocher, Enid Elliot, Alejandra Sanchez, “Thinking Together”, in Journeys: Reconceptualizing Early Childhood Practices through Pedagogical Narration, Toronto, Ont.: University of Toronto Press, 2015, page 128",
"text": "As the children continue to shoot one another, I ask them some questions about guns. […] [M]ost revealing to me is that the children fully agree that they are playing a pretend game. The bad guys \"really hurt people\" and Freddie knows it because he \"plays\" it. Really hurting in pretend play … the children are not confused by this finessing of real and pretend. I think it is we adults who are confused by it.",
"type": "quotation"
},
{
"ref": "2011, Yael Braha, Bill Byrne, quoting Stacy Nimmo, “The Essentials of Typography and Time [Interview: Stacy Nimmo on Title Design]”, in Creative Motion Graphic Titling for Film, Video, and the Web, Burlington, Mass., Kidlington, Oxfordshire: Focal Press, page 108",
"text": "When we get the script and we have a piece that's being written to or being created around a voiceover, we'll generally do a scratch voiceover track here and time it out to that, then get the real voiceover and do some finessing there.",
"type": "quotation"
},
{
"ref": "2015, Nylora[-Joy] Bruleigh, “Just beyond Reach: Lighting, Posing, and Styling; Postproduction”, in Fine Art Portrait Photography: Lighting, Posing & Postproduction from Concept to Completion, Buffalo, N.Y.: Amherst Media, page 62",
"text": "After making the original capture[…], I sat down to finesse it in Photoshop.",
"type": "quotation"
},
{
"ref": "2017 March 30, Kendrick Duckworth, Michael Williams II, Asheton Hoga (lyrics and music), “Humble”, in Damn, performed by Kendrick Lamar",
"text": "Finesse a nigga with some counterfeits, but now I'm countin' this / Parmesan where my accountant lives, in fact I'm downin' this",
"type": "quotation"
},
{
"ref": "2020 September 23, Paul Stephen, “East Coast upgrade: changes to schedule... but on schedule”, in Rail, page 30",
"text": "So with valuable extra time to finesse its passenger handling and communications strategies, NR set its sights on rescheduling the work to begin this December instead.",
"type": "quotation"
}
],
"glosses": [
"To evade (a problem, situation, etc.) by using some clever argument or stratagem.",
"To handle or manage carefully or skilfully; to manipulate in a crafty way."
],
"id": "en-finesse-en-verb-F0cNO3qn",
"links": [
[
"politics",
"politics"
],
[
"evade",
"evade"
],
[
"problem",
"problem"
],
[
"situation",
"situation"
],
[
"clever",
"clever"
],
[
"argument",
"argument"
],
[
"stratagem",
"stratagem"
],
[
"transitive",
"transitive"
],
[
"intransitive",
"intransitive"
],
[
"handle",
"handle#Verb"
],
[
"manage",
"manage"
],
[
"carefully",
"carefully"
],
[
"skilfully",
"skilfully"
],
[
"manipulate",
"manipulate"
],
[
"crafty",
"crafty"
]
],
"raw_glosses": [
"(transitive, chiefly Canada, US, politics) To evade (a problem, situation, etc.) by using some clever argument or stratagem.",
"(transitive, intransitive) To handle or manage carefully or skilfully; to manipulate in a crafty way."
],
"synonyms": [
{
"tags": [
"slang"
],
"word": "zhoosh"
}
],
"tags": [
"Canada",
"US",
"intransitive",
"transitive"
],
"topics": [
"government",
"politics"
],
"translations": [
{
"_dis1": "92 1 1 1 1 4",
"code": "fr",
"lang": "French",
"sense": "to handle or manage carefully or skilfully; to manipulate in a crafty way",
"word": "finasser"
},
{
"_dis1": "92 1 1 1 1 4",
"code": "de",
"lang": "German",
"sense": "to handle or manage carefully or skilfully; to manipulate in a crafty way",
"word": "ausarbeiten"
},
{
"_dis1": "92 1 1 1 1 4",
"code": "de",
"lang": "German",
"sense": "to handle or manage carefully or skilfully; to manipulate in a crafty way",
"word": "aufwerten"
},
{
"_dis1": "92 1 1 1 1 4",
"code": "de",
"lang": "German",
"sense": "to handle or manage carefully or skilfully; to manipulate in a crafty way",
"word": "verschönern"
},
{
"_dis1": "92 1 1 1 1 4",
"code": "de",
"lang": "German",
"sense": "to handle or manage carefully or skilfully; to manipulate in a crafty way",
"word": "verfeinern"
}
]
},
{
"categories": [
{
"kind": "other",
"name": "American English",
"parents": [],
"source": "w"
},
{
"kind": "other",
"name": "Canadian English",
"parents": [],
"source": "w"
},
{
"kind": "topical",
"langcode": "en",
"name": "Politics",
"orig": "en:Politics",
"parents": [
"Society",
"All topics",
"Fundamental"
],
"source": "w"
},
{
"_dis": "4 2 12 7 16 14 14 6 6 19",
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"Entries with language name categories using raw markup",
"Entry maintenance"
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{
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"kind": "other",
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"Entries with topic categories using raw markup",
"Entry maintenance"
],
"source": "w+disamb"
}
],
"examples": [
{
"ref": "2020, Racquel Williams, Finessed a Dope Boy's Heart",
"text": "I was tryin'a finesse you outta them drawers, and you finessed a nigga out his heart,\" he said with a chuckle, \"But that's cool. 'Cause I know it's in good hands.\"",
"type": "quotation"
}
],
"glosses": [
"To evade (a problem, situation, etc.) by using some clever argument or stratagem.",
"To obtain something from someone through trickery or manipulation."
],
"id": "en-finesse-en-verb-q2dDaZDI",
"links": [
[
"politics",
"politics"
],
[
"evade",
"evade"
],
[
"problem",
"problem"
],
[
"situation",
"situation"
],
[
"clever",
"clever"
],
[
"argument",
"argument"
],
[
"stratagem",
"stratagem"
],
[
"obtain",
"obtain"
],
[
"trickery",
"trickery"
],
[
"manipulation",
"manipulation"
]
],
"raw_glosses": [
"(transitive, chiefly Canada, US, politics) To evade (a problem, situation, etc.) by using some clever argument or stratagem.",
"(transitive, slang) To obtain something from someone through trickery or manipulation."
],
"tags": [
"Canada",
"US",
"slang",
"transitive"
],
"topics": [
"government",
"politics"
]
},
{
"categories": [
{
"kind": "other",
"name": "American English",
"parents": [],
"source": "w"
},
{
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"parents": [],
"source": "w"
},
{
"kind": "topical",
"langcode": "en",
"name": "Politics",
"orig": "en:Politics",
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"Society",
"All topics",
"Fundamental"
],
"source": "w"
},
{
"_dis": "4 2 12 7 16 14 14 6 6 19",
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"Entries with topic categories using raw markup",
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"examples": [
{
"ref": "1876, “Government and Laws”, in William Harcus, editor, South Australia: Its History, Resources, and Productions, London: Sampson Low, Marston, Searle, & Rivington, […], →OCLC, page 38",
"text": "It is said that democratic institutions necessarily lead to political corruption. I can only say that it has not been so in this Colony. Members have schemed, finessed, log-rolled, to serve their districts, but never to put money in their own pockets.",
"type": "quotation"
},
{
"ref": "2013, James F[ranklin] Harris, “The Supreme Court”, in The Serpentine Wall: The Winding Boundary between Church and State in the United States, New Brunswick, N.J.: Transaction Publishers, part III (Church and State in the Modern United States), page 185",
"text": "The founders deliberately finessed other issues concerning religion and the relationship between church and state to ensure the ratification of the Constitution.",
"type": "quotation"
},
{
"ref": "2015, Howard M[orley] Sachar, “The Death of Giacomo Matteotti”, in The Assassination of Europe, 1918–1942: A Political History, Toronto, Ont.: University of Toronto Press, page 82",
"text": "[…] Britain's Prime Minister David Lloyd George finessed the distinction between \"indemnification\" and \"reparations\" by insisting that his government's pension payments to the families of fallen soldiers should also be categorized as 'civilian\" damages, thus making the recipients eligible for \"reparations\" to the tune of at least $110 billion[…].",
"type": "quotation"
},
{
"ref": "2018, John C. Hull, Options, Futures and Other Derivatives, 10th edition, Pearson, page 276",
"text": "Almost miraculously, [risk-neutral valuation] finesses the problem that we know hardly anything about the risk aversion of the buyers and sellers of options.",
"type": "quotation"
}
],
"glosses": [
"To evade (a problem, situation, etc.) by using some clever argument or stratagem."
],
"id": "en-finesse-en-verb--~8Ku0zF",
"links": [
[
"politics",
"politics"
],
[
"evade",
"evade"
],
[
"problem",
"problem"
],
[
"situation",
"situation"
],
[
"clever",
"clever"
],
[
"argument",
"argument"
],
[
"stratagem",
"stratagem"
]
],
"raw_glosses": [
"(transitive, chiefly Canada, US, politics) To evade (a problem, situation, etc.) by using some clever argument or stratagem."
],
"tags": [
"Canada",
"US",
"transitive"
],
"topics": [
"government",
"politics"
]
},
{
"categories": [
{
"kind": "topical",
"langcode": "en",
"name": "Card games",
"orig": "en:Card games",
"parents": [
"Games",
"Recreation",
"Human activity",
"Human behaviour",
"Human",
"All topics",
"Fundamental"
],
"source": "w"
}
],
"examples": [
{
"ref": "1864, Cavendish [pseudonym; Henry Jones], “The Third Hand”, in The Laws and Principles of Whist Stated and Explained, and Its Practice Illustrated on an Original System, by Means of Hands Played Completely through, 7th edition, London: Bancks Brothers […], →OCLC, part I (General Principles), page 41",
"text": "In the first round of a suit, you should generally, / 8. PLAY YOUR HIGHEST CARD THIRD HAND. / a. In order to strengthen your partner. You presume that he leads from his strong suit, and wants to get the winning cards of it out of his way[…]; you, therefore, do not finesse[…], but play your highest, remembering that you play the lowest of a sequence[…]. With ace, queen (and, of course, ace, queen, knave, &c., in sequence) you do finesse, for, in this case, if the king is in the fourth hand, it must make, unless single, which is very improbable; and by putting on the ace, you make the king good, if against you.",
"type": "quotation"
}
],
"glosses": [
"To attempt to win a trick by finessing."
],
"id": "en-finesse-en-verb-ZMR6d3sa",
"links": [
[
"card game",
"card game"
],
[
"attempt",
"attempt#Verb"
],
[
"win",
"win#Verb"
],
[
"trick",
"trick#Noun"
]
],
"raw_glosses": [
"(intransitive, card games) To attempt to win a trick by finessing."
],
"tags": [
"intransitive"
],
"topics": [
"card-games",
"games"
],
"translations": [
{
"_dis1": "1 2 1 94 1 1",
"code": "da",
"lang": "Danish",
"sense": "to attempt to win a trick by finessing",
"word": "knibe"
}
]
},
{
"categories": [
{
"kind": "topical",
"langcode": "en",
"name": "Card games",
"orig": "en:Card games",
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"Games",
"Recreation",
"Human activity",
"Human behaviour",
"Human",
"All topics",
"Fundamental"
],
"source": "w"
},
{
"_dis": "6 4 9 17 9 5 5 7 17 21",
"kind": "topical",
"langcode": "en",
"name": "Ball games",
"orig": "en:Ball games",
"parents": [
"Sports",
"Human activity",
"Human behaviour",
"Human",
"All topics",
"Fundamental"
],
"source": "w+disamb"
}
],
"examples": [
{
"ref": "1864, Cavendish [pseudonym; Henry Jones], “The Third Hand”, in The Laws and Principles of Whist Stated and Explained, and Its Practice Illustrated on an Original System, by Means of Hands Played Completely through, 7th edition, London: Bancks Brothers […], →OCLC, part I (General Principles), page 42",
"text": "The ace is certainly to your left, you therefore finesse the ten, for if your left-hand adversary holds ace and knave he must make them both; but otherwise, your ten forces the ace, and you are left with the best.",
"type": "quotation"
},
{
"ref": "1874 March 1, “Whist Jottings—Stupidity”, in The Westminster Papers. A Monthly Journal of Chess, Whist, Games of Skill, and the Drama, volume VI, London: W. Kent & Co., […], and W. W. Morgan, […]; Edinburgh: J. Menzies & Co.; Dublin: McGlashan & Gill, →OCLC, page 235",
"text": "Again, no amount of writing, and apparently no amount of practice, will induce a player to see that it is not always right to finesse an Ace Queen. We have seen all the trumps out. We have led a suit (Hearts) of which our partner had Ace, Queen, and two long Clubs; he finessed the Queen, and did not make his two Clubs. […] Twice in a fortnight have we have the Ace Queen finessed when two cards only remained in each hand and one trump was in.",
"type": "quotation"
}
],
"glosses": [
"To play (a card) as a finesse."
],
"id": "en-finesse-en-verb-q~yKC6JW",
"links": [
[
"card game",
"card game"
],
[
"play",
"play#Verb"
],
[
"card",
"card#Noun"
],
[
"finesse",
"#Noun"
]
],
"raw_glosses": [
"(transitive, card games) To play (a card) as a finesse."
],
"tags": [
"transitive"
],
"topics": [
"card-games",
"games"
],
"translations": [
{
"_dis1": "1 1 1 1 76 20",
"code": "da",
"lang": "Danish",
"sense": "to play (a card) as a finesse",
"word": "knibe"
},
{
"_dis1": "1 1 1 1 76 20",
"code": "fr",
"lang": "French",
"sense": "to play (a card) as a finesse",
"tags": [
"feminine"
],
"word": "impasse"
}
]
},
{
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{
"_dis": "4 2 14 9 16 8 8 7 9 23",
"kind": "other",
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"Entry maintenance"
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{
"_dis": "6 4 9 17 9 5 5 7 17 21",
"kind": "topical",
"langcode": "en",
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"orig": "en:Ball games",
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"Human activity",
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"Fundamental"
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{
"ref": "1870 August, Cavendish [pseudonym; Henry Jones], “Croquet in 1870”, in The Gentleman’s Magazine, volume V (New Series), London: W. H. Allen & Co., […], →OCLC, page 308",
"text": "Blue finesses to the further boundary, intending to come to his partner next time with black, hoping that if yellow comes after these balls, he may pass the boundary and so lose the break. […] Black has now to play; he finesses to another boundary.",
"type": "quotation"
}
],
"glosses": [
"To play a ball out of the way of an opponent."
],
"id": "en-finesse-en-verb-~-j4TTxn",
"links": [
[
"croquet",
"croquet"
],
[
"play",
"play#Verb"
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[
"ball",
"ball#Noun"
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[
"opponent",
"opponent"
]
],
"qualifier": "croquet",
"raw_glosses": [
"(intransitive, croquet, obsolete) To play a ball out of the way of an opponent."
],
"tags": [
"intransitive",
"obsolete"
]
}
],
"sounds": [
{
"ipa": "/fɪˈnɛs/",
"tags": [
"Received-Pronunciation"
]
},
{
"ipa": "/fɨ-/",
"tags": [
"Received-Pronunciation"
]
},
{
"ipa": "/fɪˈnɛs/",
"tags": [
"General-American"
]
},
{
"ipa": "/fə-/",
"tags": [
"General-American"
]
},
{
"audio": "en-au-finesse.ogg",
"mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/a/ab/En-au-finesse.ogg/En-au-finesse.ogg.mp3",
"ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/ab/En-au-finesse.ogg",
"tags": [
"Australia"
],
"text": "Audio (AU)"
}
],
"word": "finesse"
}
{
"categories": [
"English 2-syllable words",
"English abstract nouns",
"English countable nouns",
"English entries with incorrect language header",
"English entries with language name categories using raw markup",
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"English terms derived from Middle English",
"English terms derived from Middle French",
"English terms derived from Old French",
"English terms inherited from Middle English",
"English terms with IPA pronunciation",
"English terms with audio links",
"English uncountable nouns",
"English verbs",
"en:Ball games"
],
"etymology_templates": [
{
"args": {
"1": "en",
"2": "enm",
"3": "finesse",
"t": "degree of excellence; (of metal) fineness, purity"
},
"expansion": "Middle English finesse (“degree of excellence; (of metal) fineness, purity”)",
"name": "inh"
},
{
"args": {
"1": "en",
"2": "frm",
"3": "finesse"
},
"expansion": "Middle French finesse",
"name": "der"
},
{
"args": {
"1": "en",
"2": "fro",
"3": "finesse",
"4": "",
"5": "fineness; delicacy; slenderness"
},
"expansion": "Old French finesse (“fineness; delicacy; slenderness”)",
"name": "der"
},
{
"args": {
"1": "fro",
"2": "fine"
},
"expansion": "fine",
"name": "m"
},
{
"args": {
"1": "fro",
"2": "fin",
"3": "",
"4": "fine, thin"
},
"expansion": "fin (“fine, thin”)",
"name": "m"
},
{
"args": {
"1": "en",
"2": "la",
"3": "fīnis",
"4": "",
"5": "end"
},
"expansion": "Latin fīnis (“end”)",
"name": "der"
},
{
"args": {
"1": "enm",
"2": "fīn",
"3": "",
"4": "of superior quality; precious, valuable; admirable, pleasing; pure, refined; fineness, purity; delicate, exquisite, fine; sharp, thin"
},
"expansion": "Middle English fīn (“of superior quality; precious, valuable; admirable, pleasing; pure, refined; fineness, purity; delicate, exquisite, fine; sharp, thin”)",
"name": "cog"
},
{
"args": {
"1": "fro",
"2": "-esse",
"pos": "suffix forming nouns describing the condition of being something"
},
"expansion": "-esse (suffix forming nouns describing the condition of being something)",
"name": "m"
}
],
"etymology_text": "From Middle English finesse (“degree of excellence; (of metal) fineness, purity”), from Middle French finesse, Old French finesse (“fineness; delicacy; slenderness”), from fine, fin (“fine, thin”) (from Latin fīnis (“end”); compare Middle English fīn (“of superior quality; precious, valuable; admirable, pleasing; pure, refined; fineness, purity; delicate, exquisite, fine; sharp, thin”)) + -esse (suffix forming nouns describing the condition of being something).\nThe verb is derived from the noun.",
"forms": [
{
"form": "finesses",
"tags": [
"plural"
]
}
],
"head_templates": [
{
"args": {
"1": "~"
},
"expansion": "finesse (countable and uncountable, plural finesses)",
"name": "en-noun"
}
],
"hyphenation": [
"fin‧esse"
],
"lang": "English",
"lang_code": "en",
"pos": "noun",
"senses": [
{
"categories": [
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"English uncountable nouns"
],
"examples": [
{
"ref": "1829, Moses Greenleaf, “Grants and Sales of Land”, in A Survey of the State of Maine, in Reference to Its Geographical Features, Statistics and Political Economy, Portland, Me.: Published by Shirley and Hyde, →OCLC; reprinted Augusta, Me.: Maine State Museum, June 1970, →OCLC, page 340",
"text": "It is not impossible that this bold attempt to wrest from this State and Nation, so large and important a frontier territory; with the insidious arts, and unblushing finesse and chicanery, with which the British pretensions have been managed, may yet awaken the American people from their apathy on the subject— […]",
"type": "quotation"
},
{
"ref": "1836, De Voltaire, Abner Kneeland, “FINESSE, FINENESS, &c.: Of the Different Significations of This Word”, in [J[ohn] G. Gorton], transl., A Philosophical Dictionary; from the French of M. de Voltaire. With Additional Notes, both Critical and Argumentative, 1st American stereotype edition, Boston, Mass.: Printed and Published by J[ohn] Q[uincey] Adams, →OCLC, page 344, column 1",
"text": "Finesse is not exactly subtlety; we draw a person into a snare with finesse; we escape from it with subtlety. We act with finesse, and we play a subtle trick. Distrust is inspired by an unsparing use of finesse; yet we almost always deceive ourselves if we too generally suspect it.",
"type": "quotation"
},
{
"ref": "1840, John Lingard, chapter I, in A History of England, from the First Invasion by the Romans. … Complete in Eight Volumes, 5th edition, volume IV, Paris: A[nthony] & W[illiam] Galignani and Co., […], →OCLC, page 29",
"text": "The Treaty of Madrid called into action the diplomatic finesse, or rather the low cunning of the English cabinet.",
"type": "quotation"
},
{
"ref": "2021 February 2, Katharine Murphy, The Guardian",
"text": "Kelly and Christensen, and their relentless courtship of people who like to position themselves against mainstream orthodoxy, allow that welcoming signal to be sent without senior players in government being caught on the sticky paper (apart from Michael McCormack, who blunders in periodically trying to court the politically estranged with all the finesse of an exploding cigar).",
"type": "quotation"
}
],
"glosses": [
"Skill in the handling or manipulation of a situation."
],
"links": [
[
"Skill",
"skill"
],
[
"handling",
"handling#Noun"
],
[
"manipulation",
"manipulation"
],
[
"situation",
"situation"
]
],
"raw_glosses": [
"(uncountable) Skill in the handling or manipulation of a situation."
],
"synonyms": [
{
"word": "finessing"
}
],
"tags": [
"uncountable"
]
},
{
"categories": [
"English terms with quotations",
"English uncountable nouns"
],
"examples": [
{
"ref": "1791, J[ohn] Long, “Visit Fort George.—Remarkable Instance of Courage in a Mohawk Indian.—Return to England.—Enter into a New Engagement, and Return to Canada, with Merchandise for the Indian Commerce.”, in Voyages and Travels of an Indian Interpreter and Trader, Describing the Manners and Customs of the North American Indians; […], London: Printed for the author; and sold by Robson, […], →OCLC, page 164",
"text": "An Indian known by the name of Silver Heels, from his superior agility, as well as his admirable finesse in the art of war, and who had killed more of the enemy than any one of the tribes in alliance with Great Britain, accidentally came into the fort just before the soldier was to receive his punishment, and expressed his displeasure that a man should be so shamefully disgraced.",
"type": "quotation"
}
],
"glosses": [
"The property of having elegance, grace, refinement, or skill."
],
"links": [
[
"property",
"property"
],
[
"elegance",
"elegance"
],
[
"grace",
"grace"
],
[
"refinement",
"refinement"
],
[
"skill",
"skill"
]
],
"raw_glosses": [
"(uncountable) The property of having elegance, grace, refinement, or skill."
],
"tags": [
"uncountable"
]
},
{
"categories": [
"English countable nouns",
"English terms with quotations"
],
"examples": [
{
"ref": "1836, S[ereno] E[dwards] Dwight, “The Law of Incest”, in The Hebrew Wife: Or The Law of Marriage Examined in Relation to the Lawfulness of Polygamy and to the Extent of the Law of Incest, New York, N.Y.: Leavitt, Lord & Co., […]; Boston, Mass.: Crocker & Brewster, →OCLC, page 181",
"text": "The first inroads on our laws of incest were made at the instigation, and by the secret management, of some of our \"prime nobles,\" who had either seduced, or married, or pledged themselves to marry a wife's sister; and who wished by this finesse, to escape, at once, public odium and personal responsibility; […]",
"type": "quotation"
},
{
"ref": "1984, Gregory Paul P. Meyjes, “An Auxiliary Language for the World: General Outline”, in The Choice of an Auxiliary Language for the World: Perspectives within the Context of Contemporary Linguistics, [Munich]: GRIN Verlag; Open Publishing GmbH, section 2.1.2.3 (All Kinds of Linguistics Communication), page 6",
"text": "[A] simplified version of English, called Basic English, […] is mainly intended for tangibles like business and scientific cooperation, and the designer of which renounces the intention of catering for the finesses of cultural exchange or diplomacy.",
"type": "quotation"
}
],
"glosses": [
"An adroit manoeuvre."
],
"links": [
[
"adroit",
"adroit"
],
[
"manoeuvre",
"manoeuvre#Noun"
]
],
"raw_glosses": [
"(countable) An adroit manoeuvre."
],
"tags": [
"countable"
]
},
{
"categories": [
"English countable nouns",
"English terms with quotations",
"en:Card games"
],
"examples": [
{
"ref": "1850, “Short Whist: Its System and Science”, in Henry G[eorge] Bohn, editor, The Hand-book of Games: Comprising New or Carefully Revised Treatises on Whist, Piquet, Ecarté, Lansquenet, Boston, Quadrille, Cribbage, and Other Card Games; […] (Bohn’s Scientific Library), London: Henry G[eorge] Bohn, […], →OCLC, part IV (Whist by the Editor), page 185",
"text": "The Finesse Proper.—When, upon the invite of your partner, you refuse to force with your strongest card, or one of equal strength, you are in the case of the finesse proper. Holding the ace, queen, and ten, and taking with the queen, is a simple finesse; that is, a finesse to the king.",
"type": "quotation"
},
{
"ref": "2013 October 22, Joe Blatnick, “Finesses (One More Time)”, in Bridge: A Thinker’s Game: How You Think is More Important than What and Thinking Comes before Doing, Bloomington, Ind.: AuthorHouse, page 134",
"text": "Here we are going to examine finesses from a negative standpoint. Those players who take finesses wherever and whenever they appear will seldom give any thought to what might happen if the finesse were to lose. And this is why taking or shunning a finesse is an option which shouldn't be exercised without much prior thought.",
"type": "quotation"
}
],
"glosses": [
"In bridge, whist, etc.: a technique which allows one to win a trick, usually by playing a card when it is thought that a card that can beat it is held by another player whose turn is over."
],
"links": [
[
"card game",
"card game"
],
[
"bridge",
"bridge#Noun"
],
[
"whist",
"whist"
],
[
"technique",
"technique"
],
[
"win",
"win#Verb"
],
[
"trick",
"trick#Noun"
],
[
"playing",
"play#Verb"
],
[
"card",
"card#Noun"
],
[
"beat",
"beat#Verb"
],
[
"held",
"hold#Verb"
],
[
"player",
"player"
],
[
"turn",
"turn#Noun"
]
],
"raw_glosses": [
"(countable, card games) In bridge, whist, etc.: a technique which allows one to win a trick, usually by playing a card when it is thought that a card that can beat it is held by another player whose turn is over."
],
"tags": [
"countable"
],
"topics": [
"card-games",
"games"
]
}
],
"sounds": [
{
"ipa": "/fɪˈnɛs/",
"tags": [
"Received-Pronunciation"
]
},
{
"ipa": "/fɨ-/",
"tags": [
"Received-Pronunciation"
]
},
{
"ipa": "/fɪˈnɛs/",
"tags": [
"General-American"
]
},
{
"ipa": "/fə-/",
"tags": [
"General-American"
]
},
{
"audio": "en-au-finesse.ogg",
"mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/a/ab/En-au-finesse.ogg/En-au-finesse.ogg.mp3",
"ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/ab/En-au-finesse.ogg",
"tags": [
"Australia"
],
"text": "Audio (AU)"
}
],
"translations": [
{
"code": "bg",
"lang": "Bulgarian",
"roman": "fines",
"sense": "skill in handling or manipulation of a situation",
"tags": [
"masculine"
],
"word": "финес"
},
{
"code": "fi",
"lang": "Finnish",
"sense": "skill in handling or manipulation of a situation",
"word": "taitavuus"
},
{
"code": "fi",
"lang": "Finnish",
"sense": "skill in handling or manipulation of a situation",
"word": "hienostuneisuus"
},
{
"code": "gl",
"lang": "Galician",
"sense": "skill in handling or manipulation of a situation",
"tags": [
"masculine"
],
"word": "tento"
},
{
"code": "de",
"lang": "German",
"sense": "skill in handling or manipulation of a situation",
"tags": [
"feminine"
],
"word": "Raffinesse"
},
{
"code": "de",
"lang": "German",
"sense": "skill in handling or manipulation of a situation",
"tags": [
"neuter"
],
"word": "Geschick"
},
{
"code": "pl",
"lang": "Polish",
"sense": "skill in handling or manipulation of a situation",
"tags": [
"feminine"
],
"word": "finezja"
},
{
"code": "ar",
"lang": "Arabic",
"roman": "barāʕa",
"sense": "property of having elegance, grace, refinement, or skill",
"tags": [
"feminine"
],
"word": "بَرَاعَة"
},
{
"code": "yue",
"lang": "Chinese Cantonese",
"roman": "sau² wun²",
"sense": "property of having elegance, grace, refinement, or skill",
"word": "手腕"
},
{
"code": "cmn",
"lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
"roman": "shǒuwàn",
"sense": "property of having elegance, grace, refinement, or skill",
"word": "手腕"
},
{
"code": "cmn",
"lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
"roman": "zhìqiǎo",
"sense": "property of having elegance, grace, refinement, or skill",
"word": "智巧"
},
{
"code": "fi",
"lang": "Finnish",
"sense": "property of having elegance, grace, refinement, or skill",
"word": "finessi"
},
{
"code": "fi",
"lang": "Finnish",
"sense": "property of having elegance, grace, refinement, or skill",
"word": "hienostuneisuus"
},
{
"code": "fr",
"lang": "French",
"sense": "property of having elegance, grace, refinement, or skill",
"tags": [
"feminine"
],
"word": "finesse"
},
{
"code": "ka",
"lang": "Georgian",
"roman": "daxvec̣iloba",
"sense": "property of having elegance, grace, refinement, or skill",
"word": "დახვეწილობა"
},
{
"code": "de",
"lang": "German",
"sense": "property of having elegance, grace, refinement, or skill",
"tags": [
"feminine"
],
"word": "Finesse"
},
{
"code": "de",
"lang": "German",
"sense": "property of having elegance, grace, refinement, or skill",
"tags": [
"feminine"
],
"word": "Feinheit"
},
{
"code": "de",
"lang": "German",
"sense": "property of having elegance, grace, refinement, or skill",
"tags": [
"feminine"
],
"word": "Raffinesse"
},
{
"alt": "ぎこう",
"code": "ja",
"lang": "Japanese",
"roman": "gikō",
"sense": "property of having elegance, grace, refinement, or skill",
"word": "技巧"
},
{
"code": "ja",
"lang": "Japanese",
"note": "匙加減 (さじかげん, sajikagen, literally “spoon moderation”)",
"sense": "property of having elegance, grace, refinement, or skill"
},
{
"code": "mk",
"lang": "Macedonian",
"roman": "finesa",
"sense": "property of having elegance, grace, refinement, or skill",
"tags": [
"feminine"
],
"word": "финеса"
},
{
"code": "pl",
"lang": "Polish",
"sense": "property of having elegance, grace, refinement, or skill",
"tags": [
"feminine"
],
"word": "przebiegłość"
},
{
"code": "pl",
"lang": "Polish",
"sense": "property of having elegance, grace, refinement, or skill",
"tags": [
"feminine"
],
"word": "finezja"
},
{
"code": "pt",
"lang": "Portuguese",
"sense": "property of having elegance, grace, refinement, or skill",
"word": "fineza"
},
{
"code": "pt",
"lang": "Portuguese",
"sense": "property of having elegance, grace, refinement, or skill",
"tags": [
"masculine"
],
"word": "fino"
},
{
"code": "ru",
"english": "grace",
"lang": "Russian",
"roman": "izjáščestvo",
"sense": "property of having elegance, grace, refinement, or skill",
"tags": [
"neuter"
],
"word": "изя́щество"
},
{
"code": "ru",
"english": "skill",
"lang": "Russian",
"roman": "lóvkostʹ",
"sense": "property of having elegance, grace, refinement, or skill",
"tags": [
"feminine"
],
"word": "ло́вкость"
},
{
"code": "ru",
"english": "subtlety",
"lang": "Russian",
"roman": "tónkostʹ",
"sense": "property of having elegance, grace, refinement, or skill",
"tags": [
"feminine"
],
"word": "то́нкость"
},
{
"code": "es",
"lang": "Spanish",
"sense": "property of having elegance, grace, refinement, or skill",
"tags": [
"feminine"
],
"word": "fineza"
},
{
"code": "sv",
"lang": "Swedish",
"sense": "property of having elegance, grace, refinement, or skill",
"tags": [
"common-gender"
],
"word": "finess"
},
{
"code": "bg",
"lang": "Bulgarian",
"roman": "umela postǎpka",
"sense": "adroit manoeuvre",
"tags": [
"feminine"
],
"word": "умела постъпка"
},
{
"code": "fi",
"lang": "Finnish",
"sense": "adroit manoeuvre",
"word": "hyvä veto"
},
{
"code": "bg",
"lang": "Bulgarian",
"roman": "impas",
"sense": "(card games) technique to win a trick",
"tags": [
"masculine"
],
"word": "импас"
},
{
"code": "fr",
"lang": "French",
"sense": "(card games) technique to win a trick",
"tags": [
"feminine"
],
"word": "impasse"
},
{
"code": "pl",
"lang": "Polish",
"sense": "(card games) technique to win a trick",
"tags": [
"masculine"
],
"word": "impas"
},
{
"code": "ru",
"lang": "Russian",
"roman": "prorézyvanije",
"sense": "(card games) technique to win a trick",
"tags": [
"neuter"
],
"word": "проре́зывание"
}
],
"word": "finesse"
}
{
"categories": [
"English 2-syllable words",
"English abstract nouns",
"English countable nouns",
"English entries with incorrect language header",
"English entries with language name categories using raw markup",
"English entries with topic categories using raw markup",
"English lemmas",
"English nouns",
"English terms derived from Latin",
"English terms derived from Middle English",
"English terms derived from Middle French",
"English terms derived from Old French",
"English terms inherited from Middle English",
"English terms with IPA pronunciation",
"English terms with audio links",
"English uncountable nouns",
"English verbs",
"en:Ball games"
],
"derived": [
{
"word": "finessable"
},
{
"word": "finesser"
},
{
"tags": [
"noun"
],
"word": "finessing"
},
{
"word": "outfinesse"
}
],
"etymology_templates": [
{
"args": {
"1": "en",
"2": "enm",
"3": "finesse",
"t": "degree of excellence; (of metal) fineness, purity"
},
"expansion": "Middle English finesse (“degree of excellence; (of metal) fineness, purity”)",
"name": "inh"
},
{
"args": {
"1": "en",
"2": "frm",
"3": "finesse"
},
"expansion": "Middle French finesse",
"name": "der"
},
{
"args": {
"1": "en",
"2": "fro",
"3": "finesse",
"4": "",
"5": "fineness; delicacy; slenderness"
},
"expansion": "Old French finesse (“fineness; delicacy; slenderness”)",
"name": "der"
},
{
"args": {
"1": "fro",
"2": "fine"
},
"expansion": "fine",
"name": "m"
},
{
"args": {
"1": "fro",
"2": "fin",
"3": "",
"4": "fine, thin"
},
"expansion": "fin (“fine, thin”)",
"name": "m"
},
{
"args": {
"1": "en",
"2": "la",
"3": "fīnis",
"4": "",
"5": "end"
},
"expansion": "Latin fīnis (“end”)",
"name": "der"
},
{
"args": {
"1": "enm",
"2": "fīn",
"3": "",
"4": "of superior quality; precious, valuable; admirable, pleasing; pure, refined; fineness, purity; delicate, exquisite, fine; sharp, thin"
},
"expansion": "Middle English fīn (“of superior quality; precious, valuable; admirable, pleasing; pure, refined; fineness, purity; delicate, exquisite, fine; sharp, thin”)",
"name": "cog"
},
{
"args": {
"1": "fro",
"2": "-esse",
"pos": "suffix forming nouns describing the condition of being something"
},
"expansion": "-esse (suffix forming nouns describing the condition of being something)",
"name": "m"
}
],
"etymology_text": "From Middle English finesse (“degree of excellence; (of metal) fineness, purity”), from Middle French finesse, Old French finesse (“fineness; delicacy; slenderness”), from fine, fin (“fine, thin”) (from Latin fīnis (“end”); compare Middle English fīn (“of superior quality; precious, valuable; admirable, pleasing; pure, refined; fineness, purity; delicate, exquisite, fine; sharp, thin”)) + -esse (suffix forming nouns describing the condition of being something).\nThe verb is derived from the noun.",
"forms": [
{
"form": "finesses",
"tags": [
"present",
"singular",
"third-person"
]
},
{
"form": "finessing",
"tags": [
"participle",
"present"
]
},
{
"form": "finessed",
"tags": [
"participle",
"past"
]
},
{
"form": "finessed",
"tags": [
"past"
]
}
],
"head_templates": [
{
"args": {},
"expansion": "finesse (third-person singular simple present finesses, present participle finessing, simple past and past participle finessed)",
"name": "en-verb"
}
],
"hyphenation": [
"fin‧esse"
],
"lang": "English",
"lang_code": "en",
"pos": "verb",
"senses": [
{
"categories": [
"American English",
"Canadian English",
"English intransitive verbs",
"English terms with quotations",
"English transitive verbs",
"en:Politics"
],
"examples": [
{
"ref": "1835, chapter XIV, in Finesse. … In Two Volumes, volume I, London: Richard Bentley, […], →OCLC, page 240",
"text": "Distressed as she was, she rose the next morning determined to contend with her feelings,—to think no more of Trevor,—and to finesse no more for a husband—she had had enough of it.",
"type": "quotation"
},
{
"ref": "2010 May, Kim Atkinson, “Working among the Good & Bad”, in Island Parent Magazine, Victoria, B.C.: Krayenhoff-Holland Enterprises, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 2019-02-05; quoted in Veronica Pacini-Ketchabaw, Fikile Nxumalo, Laurie Kocher, Enid Elliot, Alejandra Sanchez, “Thinking Together”, in Journeys: Reconceptualizing Early Childhood Practices through Pedagogical Narration, Toronto, Ont.: University of Toronto Press, 2015, page 128",
"text": "As the children continue to shoot one another, I ask them some questions about guns. […] [M]ost revealing to me is that the children fully agree that they are playing a pretend game. The bad guys \"really hurt people\" and Freddie knows it because he \"plays\" it. Really hurting in pretend play … the children are not confused by this finessing of real and pretend. I think it is we adults who are confused by it.",
"type": "quotation"
},
{
"ref": "2011, Yael Braha, Bill Byrne, quoting Stacy Nimmo, “The Essentials of Typography and Time [Interview: Stacy Nimmo on Title Design]”, in Creative Motion Graphic Titling for Film, Video, and the Web, Burlington, Mass., Kidlington, Oxfordshire: Focal Press, page 108",
"text": "When we get the script and we have a piece that's being written to or being created around a voiceover, we'll generally do a scratch voiceover track here and time it out to that, then get the real voiceover and do some finessing there.",
"type": "quotation"
},
{
"ref": "2015, Nylora[-Joy] Bruleigh, “Just beyond Reach: Lighting, Posing, and Styling; Postproduction”, in Fine Art Portrait Photography: Lighting, Posing & Postproduction from Concept to Completion, Buffalo, N.Y.: Amherst Media, page 62",
"text": "After making the original capture[…], I sat down to finesse it in Photoshop.",
"type": "quotation"
},
{
"ref": "2017 March 30, Kendrick Duckworth, Michael Williams II, Asheton Hoga (lyrics and music), “Humble”, in Damn, performed by Kendrick Lamar",
"text": "Finesse a nigga with some counterfeits, but now I'm countin' this / Parmesan where my accountant lives, in fact I'm downin' this",
"type": "quotation"
},
{
"ref": "2020 September 23, Paul Stephen, “East Coast upgrade: changes to schedule... but on schedule”, in Rail, page 30",
"text": "So with valuable extra time to finesse its passenger handling and communications strategies, NR set its sights on rescheduling the work to begin this December instead.",
"type": "quotation"
}
],
"glosses": [
"To evade (a problem, situation, etc.) by using some clever argument or stratagem.",
"To handle or manage carefully or skilfully; to manipulate in a crafty way."
],
"links": [
[
"politics",
"politics"
],
[
"evade",
"evade"
],
[
"problem",
"problem"
],
[
"situation",
"situation"
],
[
"clever",
"clever"
],
[
"argument",
"argument"
],
[
"stratagem",
"stratagem"
],
[
"transitive",
"transitive"
],
[
"intransitive",
"intransitive"
],
[
"handle",
"handle#Verb"
],
[
"manage",
"manage"
],
[
"carefully",
"carefully"
],
[
"skilfully",
"skilfully"
],
[
"manipulate",
"manipulate"
],
[
"crafty",
"crafty"
]
],
"raw_glosses": [
"(transitive, chiefly Canada, US, politics) To evade (a problem, situation, etc.) by using some clever argument or stratagem.",
"(transitive, intransitive) To handle or manage carefully or skilfully; to manipulate in a crafty way."
],
"synonyms": [
{
"tags": [
"slang"
],
"word": "zhoosh"
}
],
"tags": [
"Canada",
"US",
"intransitive",
"transitive"
],
"topics": [
"government",
"politics"
]
},
{
"categories": [
"American English",
"Canadian English",
"English slang",
"English terms with quotations",
"English transitive verbs",
"en:Politics"
],
"examples": [
{
"ref": "2020, Racquel Williams, Finessed a Dope Boy's Heart",
"text": "I was tryin'a finesse you outta them drawers, and you finessed a nigga out his heart,\" he said with a chuckle, \"But that's cool. 'Cause I know it's in good hands.\"",
"type": "quotation"
}
],
"glosses": [
"To evade (a problem, situation, etc.) by using some clever argument or stratagem.",
"To obtain something from someone through trickery or manipulation."
],
"links": [
[
"politics",
"politics"
],
[
"evade",
"evade"
],
[
"problem",
"problem"
],
[
"situation",
"situation"
],
[
"clever",
"clever"
],
[
"argument",
"argument"
],
[
"stratagem",
"stratagem"
],
[
"obtain",
"obtain"
],
[
"trickery",
"trickery"
],
[
"manipulation",
"manipulation"
]
],
"raw_glosses": [
"(transitive, chiefly Canada, US, politics) To evade (a problem, situation, etc.) by using some clever argument or stratagem.",
"(transitive, slang) To obtain something from someone through trickery or manipulation."
],
"tags": [
"Canada",
"US",
"slang",
"transitive"
],
"topics": [
"government",
"politics"
]
},
{
"categories": [
"American English",
"Canadian English",
"English terms with quotations",
"English transitive verbs",
"en:Politics"
],
"examples": [
{
"ref": "1876, “Government and Laws”, in William Harcus, editor, South Australia: Its History, Resources, and Productions, London: Sampson Low, Marston, Searle, & Rivington, […], →OCLC, page 38",
"text": "It is said that democratic institutions necessarily lead to political corruption. I can only say that it has not been so in this Colony. Members have schemed, finessed, log-rolled, to serve their districts, but never to put money in their own pockets.",
"type": "quotation"
},
{
"ref": "2013, James F[ranklin] Harris, “The Supreme Court”, in The Serpentine Wall: The Winding Boundary between Church and State in the United States, New Brunswick, N.J.: Transaction Publishers, part III (Church and State in the Modern United States), page 185",
"text": "The founders deliberately finessed other issues concerning religion and the relationship between church and state to ensure the ratification of the Constitution.",
"type": "quotation"
},
{
"ref": "2015, Howard M[orley] Sachar, “The Death of Giacomo Matteotti”, in The Assassination of Europe, 1918–1942: A Political History, Toronto, Ont.: University of Toronto Press, page 82",
"text": "[…] Britain's Prime Minister David Lloyd George finessed the distinction between \"indemnification\" and \"reparations\" by insisting that his government's pension payments to the families of fallen soldiers should also be categorized as 'civilian\" damages, thus making the recipients eligible for \"reparations\" to the tune of at least $110 billion[…].",
"type": "quotation"
},
{
"ref": "2018, John C. Hull, Options, Futures and Other Derivatives, 10th edition, Pearson, page 276",
"text": "Almost miraculously, [risk-neutral valuation] finesses the problem that we know hardly anything about the risk aversion of the buyers and sellers of options.",
"type": "quotation"
}
],
"glosses": [
"To evade (a problem, situation, etc.) by using some clever argument or stratagem."
],
"links": [
[
"politics",
"politics"
],
[
"evade",
"evade"
],
[
"problem",
"problem"
],
[
"situation",
"situation"
],
[
"clever",
"clever"
],
[
"argument",
"argument"
],
[
"stratagem",
"stratagem"
]
],
"raw_glosses": [
"(transitive, chiefly Canada, US, politics) To evade (a problem, situation, etc.) by using some clever argument or stratagem."
],
"tags": [
"Canada",
"US",
"transitive"
],
"topics": [
"government",
"politics"
]
},
{
"categories": [
"English intransitive verbs",
"English terms with quotations",
"en:Card games"
],
"examples": [
{
"ref": "1864, Cavendish [pseudonym; Henry Jones], “The Third Hand”, in The Laws and Principles of Whist Stated and Explained, and Its Practice Illustrated on an Original System, by Means of Hands Played Completely through, 7th edition, London: Bancks Brothers […], →OCLC, part I (General Principles), page 41",
"text": "In the first round of a suit, you should generally, / 8. PLAY YOUR HIGHEST CARD THIRD HAND. / a. In order to strengthen your partner. You presume that he leads from his strong suit, and wants to get the winning cards of it out of his way[…]; you, therefore, do not finesse[…], but play your highest, remembering that you play the lowest of a sequence[…]. With ace, queen (and, of course, ace, queen, knave, &c., in sequence) you do finesse, for, in this case, if the king is in the fourth hand, it must make, unless single, which is very improbable; and by putting on the ace, you make the king good, if against you.",
"type": "quotation"
}
],
"glosses": [
"To attempt to win a trick by finessing."
],
"links": [
[
"card game",
"card game"
],
[
"attempt",
"attempt#Verb"
],
[
"win",
"win#Verb"
],
[
"trick",
"trick#Noun"
]
],
"raw_glosses": [
"(intransitive, card games) To attempt to win a trick by finessing."
],
"tags": [
"intransitive"
],
"topics": [
"card-games",
"games"
]
},
{
"categories": [
"English terms with quotations",
"English transitive verbs",
"en:Card games"
],
"examples": [
{
"ref": "1864, Cavendish [pseudonym; Henry Jones], “The Third Hand”, in The Laws and Principles of Whist Stated and Explained, and Its Practice Illustrated on an Original System, by Means of Hands Played Completely through, 7th edition, London: Bancks Brothers […], →OCLC, part I (General Principles), page 42",
"text": "The ace is certainly to your left, you therefore finesse the ten, for if your left-hand adversary holds ace and knave he must make them both; but otherwise, your ten forces the ace, and you are left with the best.",
"type": "quotation"
},
{
"ref": "1874 March 1, “Whist Jottings—Stupidity”, in The Westminster Papers. A Monthly Journal of Chess, Whist, Games of Skill, and the Drama, volume VI, London: W. Kent & Co., […], and W. W. Morgan, […]; Edinburgh: J. Menzies & Co.; Dublin: McGlashan & Gill, →OCLC, page 235",
"text": "Again, no amount of writing, and apparently no amount of practice, will induce a player to see that it is not always right to finesse an Ace Queen. We have seen all the trumps out. We have led a suit (Hearts) of which our partner had Ace, Queen, and two long Clubs; he finessed the Queen, and did not make his two Clubs. […] Twice in a fortnight have we have the Ace Queen finessed when two cards only remained in each hand and one trump was in.",
"type": "quotation"
}
],
"glosses": [
"To play (a card) as a finesse."
],
"links": [
[
"card game",
"card game"
],
[
"play",
"play#Verb"
],
[
"card",
"card#Noun"
],
[
"finesse",
"#Noun"
]
],
"raw_glosses": [
"(transitive, card games) To play (a card) as a finesse."
],
"tags": [
"transitive"
],
"topics": [
"card-games",
"games"
]
},
{
"categories": [
"English intransitive verbs",
"English terms with obsolete senses",
"English terms with quotations"
],
"examples": [
{
"ref": "1870 August, Cavendish [pseudonym; Henry Jones], “Croquet in 1870”, in The Gentleman’s Magazine, volume V (New Series), London: W. H. Allen & Co., […], →OCLC, page 308",
"text": "Blue finesses to the further boundary, intending to come to his partner next time with black, hoping that if yellow comes after these balls, he may pass the boundary and so lose the break. […] Black has now to play; he finesses to another boundary.",
"type": "quotation"
}
],
"glosses": [
"To play a ball out of the way of an opponent."
],
"links": [
[
"croquet",
"croquet"
],
[
"play",
"play#Verb"
],
[
"ball",
"ball#Noun"
],
[
"opponent",
"opponent"
]
],
"qualifier": "croquet",
"raw_glosses": [
"(intransitive, croquet, obsolete) To play a ball out of the way of an opponent."
],
"tags": [
"intransitive",
"obsolete"
]
}
],
"sounds": [
{
"ipa": "/fɪˈnɛs/",
"tags": [
"Received-Pronunciation"
]
},
{
"ipa": "/fɨ-/",
"tags": [
"Received-Pronunciation"
]
},
{
"ipa": "/fɪˈnɛs/",
"tags": [
"General-American"
]
},
{
"ipa": "/fə-/",
"tags": [
"General-American"
]
},
{
"audio": "en-au-finesse.ogg",
"mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/a/ab/En-au-finesse.ogg/En-au-finesse.ogg.mp3",
"ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/ab/En-au-finesse.ogg",
"tags": [
"Australia"
],
"text": "Audio (AU)"
}
],
"translations": [
{
"code": "da",
"lang": "Danish",
"sense": "to play (a card) as a finesse",
"word": "knibe"
},
{
"code": "fr",
"lang": "French",
"sense": "to play (a card) as a finesse",
"tags": [
"feminine"
],
"word": "impasse"
},
{
"code": "fr",
"lang": "French",
"sense": "to handle or manage carefully or skilfully; to manipulate in a crafty way",
"word": "finasser"
},
{
"code": "de",
"lang": "German",
"sense": "to handle or manage carefully or skilfully; to manipulate in a crafty way",
"word": "ausarbeiten"
},
{
"code": "de",
"lang": "German",
"sense": "to handle or manage carefully or skilfully; to manipulate in a crafty way",
"word": "aufwerten"
},
{
"code": "de",
"lang": "German",
"sense": "to handle or manage carefully or skilfully; to manipulate in a crafty way",
"word": "verschönern"
},
{
"code": "de",
"lang": "German",
"sense": "to handle or manage carefully or skilfully; to manipulate in a crafty way",
"word": "verfeinern"
},
{
"code": "da",
"lang": "Danish",
"sense": "to attempt to win a trick by finessing",
"word": "knibe"
}
],
"word": "finesse"
}
{
"called_from": "page/1498/20230118",
"msg": "''To evade (a problem, situation'[...]' gloss has examples we want to keep, but there are subglosses.",
"path": [
"finesse"
],
"section": "English",
"subsection": "verb",
"title": "finesse",
"trace": ""
}
This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable English dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2024-04-30 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2024-04-21 using wiktextract (210104c and c9440ce). The data shown on this site has been post-processed and various details (e.g., extra categories) removed, some information disambiguated, and additional data merged from other sources. See the raw data download page for the unprocessed wiktextract data.
If you use this data in academic research, please cite Tatu Ylonen: Wiktextract: Wiktionary as Machine-Readable Structured Data, Proceedings of the 13th Conference on Language Resources and Evaluation (LREC), pp. 1317-1325, Marseille, 20-25 June 2022. Linking to the relevant page(s) under https://kaikki.org would also be greatly appreciated.