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Apr 12, 2017 · The phrase smoke and mirrors means irrelevant or misleading information serving to obscure the truth of a situation. It refers to the illusion created by conjuring tricks , and originated in How the Good Guys Finally Won: Notes from an Impeachment Summer (New York, 1975), by the American political journalist and author James Earle ‘Jimmy ...
What's the origin of the phrase 'Smoke and mirrors'? This expression alludes to the performances of stage conjurers who use actual smoke and mirrors to deceive the audience. The figurative use that is now more common refers to the obscuring or embellishing of the truth that is employed by spin doctors and the like in order to deceive the ...
Something that is described as smoke and mirrors is intended to make you believe that something is being done or is true, when it is not: The new budget isn't smoke and mirrors; it's an honest attempt to reduce the deficit. SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases.
Smoke and mirrors are words and actions that are intended to deceive or confuse people, especially by making something seem better than it really is. The president claims that his economic plan is free of the smoke and mirrors of previous presidential budget proposals.
Smoke and mirrors is a classic technique in magical illusions that makes an entity appear to hover in empty space. It was documented as early as 1770 and spread widely after its use by the charlatan Johann Georg Schröpfer , who claimed the apparitions to be conjured spirits.
The idiom smoke and mirrors describe situations where the truth is obscured, intentionally or inadvertently. Instead of a clear view, you encounter mystification. Imagine a funhouse of mirrors or a showy magic trick with a smoke machine hiding all the flaws of the performer.
Smoke and mirrors definition: something that distorts or blurs facts, figures, etc., like a magic or conjuring trick; artful deception.. See examples of SMOKE AND MIRRORS used in a sentence.
