Talk:Sleight of hand

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[edit] Practical examples

I would like to ask what contributors think about linking to practical examples of sleight of hand ...such as this, Card tricks and how to palm a card. Is it better to have just a few external references or would it be valuable to actually write separate wiki pages on each trick? Collieman 16:44, 19 May 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Quibble: misnomer

Misdirection is not a misnomer. Misdirection means "direction away". It would be uninformative to call the card sharp's art "direction". To the extent that the observer is directed away from what he intends to observe, he is misdirected.

I agree completely. The sentence about "misdirection" being a misnomer is both erroneous and incomplete. Even if it were a misnomer, it would be important to identify the proper terminology. Chachilongbow 21:06, 13 July 2006 (UTC)

Many "tricks" involve several different aspects of magic. For example, a much platform magic involves a combination of "gimmicks" and "sleight of hand," whereas close-up magic usually combines misdirection and "sleight of hand." I would prefer to see the classes of magic (illusion/stage magic, platform magic, and close-up magic) as separate entities. Then the elements (gimmicks, contraptions, misdirection, sleight of hand, etc.) as a separate class. Thirdly, individual "tricks" as yet another class. When developing the pages for each class, references to and from the other classes and trick examples might be referenced. -Ben Smith

[edit] Le Jeu de Main

Does anyone have a source for the assertation that the word legerdemain is derived from this? I've never heard this before, and it seems a very convoluted explanation for a word that could be explained so much easier as "leger de main" (which indeed is also the direct meaning of the word). The online etymological dictionary (http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?search=legerdemain&searchmode=none) has never heard of this explanation either, so unless someone has a source, I'm very inclined to delete it. See also http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Occam%27s_razor Steevm 02:21, 29 September 2006 (UTC)

I can't find any sources that claim that legerdemain comes from "le jeu de main". I've removed it until someone can back it up. Steevm 03:13, 4 October 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Exposing Magic Secrets

As a magician, I don't think it's a good idea to expose magic secrets casually. The magic loses it's entertainment value. Patrick Murrray 03:07, 12 December 2006 (UTC)

Except to those that are entertained by reading the "how to" of it all, no? 140.185.215.122 16:00, 25 January 2007 (UTC)SteveSharp

Personally, understanding how a piece of magic just allows me to better appreciate the skill of the magician in question in their ability to perform it. After all, what is the true definition of magic? To me, it is simply something that is done, the technique of which is unknown. Once the technique is known, the magic then transfers from the "trick" to the magician being able to perform the "trick" so well! —Preceding unsigned comment added by 71.241.197.44 (talk) 15:30, 14 January 2008 (UTC)