A clever trick or cunning plan designed to deceive someone or distract them from the truth.
From Old French 'ruse,' possibly from Latin 'rusus' meaning 'turned back' or 'bent,' suggesting the idea of turning something around deceptively. The word has meant 'trick' or 'stratagem' since the 14th century.
Military strategists study famous ruses like the Trojan Horse, and modern magicians use the principle of ruses—misdirection—to make audiences believe impossible things, which shows how this ancient deception technique remains powerful across thousands of years.
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