The magician used misdirection to get us to watch his left hand while he did something with his right hand.
Also self-misdirection
Wikipedia foundation.
Misdirection — may refer to: a technique used when performing magic tricks (see Misdirection (magic)) a technique used in strategy games and warfare (see Feint) an incorrect charge given by a judge to a jury (see Misdirection (Legal)) a technique employed by… … Wikipedia
Misdirection — Mis di*rec tion, n. 1. The act of directing wrongly, or the state of being so directed. [1913 Webster] 2. (Law) An error of a judge in charging the jury on a matter of law. Mozley & W. [1913 Webster] 3. The direction of another s attention to an… … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
misdirection — index abuse (corrupt practice), digression, distortion, maladministration, misrule Burton s Legal Thesaurus. William C. Burton. 2006 … Law dictionary
misdirection — (n.) 1768, from MIS (Cf. mis ) (1) + DIRECTION (Cf. direction). Meaning action of a conjurer, thief, etc. to distract someone is from 1943 … Etymology dictionary
misdirection — misdirect UK US /ˌmɪsdɪˈrekt/ verb [T] ► to send something to the wrong place or in the wrong direction: »If people are worried about payments being misdirected, they can opt to use direct deposit. »The publisher often lost or misdirected orders … Financial and business terms
misdirection — misdirect ► VERB ▪ direct or instruct wrongly. DERIVATIVES misdirection noun … English terms dictionary
misdirection — noun 1. an incorrect charge to a jury given by a judge • Hypernyms: ↑commission, ↑charge, ↑direction 2. incorrect directions or instructions • Derivationally related forms: ↑misdirect • Hypernyms: ↑ … Useful english dictionary
Misdirection (magic) — Misdirection is a form of deception in which the attention of an audience is focused on one thing in order to distract its attention from another. The term is used to describe either the effect (the victim s focus on an unimportant object) or the … Wikipedia
misdirection — noun Date: 1749 1. a wrong direction 2. a. the act or an instance of misdirecting or diverting b. the state of being misdirected … New Collegiate Dictionary
misdirection — /mis di rek sheuhn/, n. 1. a wrong or incorrect direction, guidance, or instruction. 2. Law. an erroneous charge to the jury by a judge. [1760 70; MIS 1 + DIRECTION] * * * … Universalium
