In the 16th century, Turkish women could divorce their husbands if the man failed to keep his family’s pot filled with coffee.
STRATAGEM
ploy, gambit, stratagem
(noun) a maneuver in a game or conversation
contrivance, stratagem, dodge
(noun) an elaborate or deceitful scheme contrived to deceive or evade; “his testimony was just a contrivance to throw us off the track”
Source: WordNet® 3.1
Etymology
Noun
stratagem (plural stratagems)
A tactic or artifice designed to gain the upper hand, especially one involving underhanded dealings or deception.
Source: Wiktionary
Strat"a*gem, n. Etym: [F. stratagème (cf. Sp. estratagema, It. stratagemma), L. strategema, Gr. Stratum) + Agent.]
Definition: An artifice or trick in war for deceiving the enemy; hence, in general, artifice; deceptive device; secret plot; evil machination. Fit for treasons, stratagems, and spoils. Shak. Those oft are stratagems which error seem, Nor is it Homer nods, but we that dream. Pope.
Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition
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21 April 2025
ENCYCLOPEDIA
(noun) a reference work (often in several volumes) containing articles on various topics (often arranged in alphabetical order) dealing with the entire range of human knowledge or with some particular specialty
Coffee Trivia
