counterploy en · NOUN
Etymology
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *ḱe? Proto-Indo-European *ḱóm Proto-Italic *kom Proto-Italic *kom- Proto-Indo-European *-teros Proto-Italic *-teros Proto-Italic *komterosder. Proto-Italic *komterād Latin contrāder. Old French contre- Anglo-Norman countre-bor. Middle English counter- English counter- English ploy English counterploy From counter- + ploy.
Meanings
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A clever trick used to counteract another clever trick.
So it goes. Bluff and counterbluff, ploy and counterploy.
1971, William O. Johnson, Super Spectator and the Electric Lilliputians, page 114:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| counterploys | Number=Plur | lexicographic |