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