ruse
n. countablen. a clever trick or a plan that is used to deceive someone. You use it when someone pretends to do one thing while actually doing another.
n. a clever stratagem or trick intended to deceive or outmaneuver an opponent. Often implies a degree of sophistication or calculated misdirection.
He used a fake phone call as a ruse to leave.
The soldiers used a fake retreat as a ruse to lure the enemy into the open field.
The elaborate ruse involved forged documents and a series of shell companies, all designed to distract investigators from the actual source of the funds.
Borrowed from Bulgarian Русе (Ruse).
* As an English surname, variant of Rouse, Rowse. * As a German surname, variant of Reuss, Reusse. * As a Czech surname, Americanized from Rus (“Russian”).
Often used with the preposition 'to' followed by an infinitive verb.