Intended to distract or turn attention away from what's really happening; a tactical deception.
From 'diversion' (something that diverts attention), which comes from Latin 'divertere' (to turn away). The '-ary' suffix makes it an adjective. Used extensively in military and strategic language.
A 'diversionary tactic' works because human attention is limited—magicians, military strategists, and con artists all exploit the same psychology: get people looking left while you act right. It's why magicians now publicly call themselves 'sleight of hand' artists.
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