chicane
chicane — noun
- chicanesingular
- chicanesplural
1. A tight S-shaped bend or a line of barriers placed across a racing track or publ
A tight S-shaped bend or a line of barriers placed across a racing track or public road, put there to force vehicles to reduce speed before a hazard.
Nicholas braked hard as he approached the tight chicane on the final lap.
collocation: tight chicane
The chicane at turn seven caught several drivers off guard during qualifying.
Joon lost control going through the chicane and slid into the barrier.
The village council added a chicane on the main road near the primary school.
After the long straight, drivers slow sharply for the narrow chicane just ahead.
用法筆記
Only used for physical road or track features, never for deception. Appears most often in motorsport reporting and commentary.
常見錯誤
2. The use of clever but dishonest schemes to cheat people, especially to get money
The use of clever but dishonest schemes to cheat people, especially to get money or an unfair advantage from them.
The lawyer was notorious for using legal chicane to drag out the case for years.
collocation: legal chicane
Hassan lost his savings to a fraudster who relied on elaborate financial chicane.
collocation: financial chicane
The contract hid dozens of unfair terms — pure chicane aimed at trapping new customers.
By skilful chicane, the saleswoman convinced Anong to pay double the real market price.
Kasia uncovered years of political chicane while reviewing the old government records.
- chicanery
formal, near-identical meaning; more common in modern English usage
- trickery
less formal and broader; can cover anything from pranks to financial scams
- deception
the most general term — any act of misleading, not necessarily for personal gain
- subterfuge
formal, emphasises indirect or evasive methods rather than clever manipulation
用法筆記
Formal and somewhat dated. Often replaced by 'chicanery' in modern English. Distinguish from sense 1 (SHARP DOUBLE BEND), which refers to a physical racetrack feature.
常見錯誤
chicane — verb
- chicanepresent simple I / you / we / they
- chicanes3rd person singular
- chicaning-ing form
- chicanedpast simple
1. To gain an advantage over someone or beat them by using lies and dishonest trick
To gain an advantage over someone or beat them by using lies and dishonest tricks.
The broker chicaned elderly clients out of their pension money with fake schemes.
chicane + someone + out of + something
Tanvi discovered her partner had chicaned her into signing away half the company.
chicane + someone + into + doing something
Omar chicaned his way into the top job by spreading cruel rumours about his rival.
The official was caught chicaning the committee into handing over the biggest contract.
The family firm chicaned the system for years before the auditors finally uncovered the fraud.
- swindle
focuses specifically on taking money or property through deception
- defraud
legal and formal register; used mainly in financial crime contexts
- deceive
broader term — covers all acts of making someone believe something untrue
- trick
less formal; can refer to harmless pranks as well as serious cheating
文法句型
chicane + someone + into + doing something
chicane + someone + out of + something
chicane + one's way + into + something
用法筆記
Typically transitive with a person or institution as the object. The object is the victim, not the thing obtained. Common in financial and legal contexts.