ruse

“This is an elaborate, well thought-out ruse which totally jammed my radar,” Taylor wrote, noting the caller’s attention to detail, including “real cop-speak.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 13, 2026

Journalists and some White House staff on board did not know the US president had been smuggled out as part of an elaborate ruse in response to a possible Iranian threat.

From BBC ● Aug. 12, 2026

U.S. officials allegedly devised the ruse after they became concerned about an Iranian threat to target Trump as he left Turkey, which borders Iran.

From Slate ● Aug. 11, 2026

Like any cheap knock-off, with Vance the ruse becomes clear at even a cursory examination.

From Salon ● Jul. 29, 2026

I suspect that hunting with Rhyia was a ruse and that she has gone to the mortal world after a brief ride through the woods.

From "The Cruel Prince" by Holly Black

Skipton’s devious ruses and desperate escapades prove diverting.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 2, 2026

The specific issue with the windbreakers was that ICE agents were engaging in various ruses to get people to open the door.

From Slate ● Jul. 3, 2025

He’d devised elaborate ruses to gather evidence of militias’ ties to high-ranking law enforcement officials.

From Salon ● Jan. 7, 2025

Baker is continually seeking ways of holding an audience captive without resorting to the normal ruses of conventional plotting.

From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 15, 2023

Desdemona had to devise elaborate ruses to satisfy him, telling him that our kitchen was the Zebra Room, only redecorated, and lamenting at how bad business was.

From "Middlesex: A Novel" by Jeffrey Eugenides