Plural of chicane; a series of alternating left-right turns in a road or racetrack, or a sneaky trick or deception.
From French chicane, possibly from Spanish chiquena or Italian cicisbeo, entering English in the 17th century originally meaning a quibble or trick, later applied to road features.
Chicanes appear everywhere from Formula 1 racetracks to video game design because they force split-second decisions—they're a physical way to test skill and reaction time.
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