Meaning of smoke and mirrors | Babel Free

Definitions

A deceptive, fraudulent, or unconvincing explanation or description.

figuratively

Equivalents

Examples

“Budget process? It's more like a magic show. It's wink and blink and smoke and mirrors and pulling rabbits out of hats, but almost all that ever comes up are designs to hide increases for the special interests.”

“On revenue raising issues, Mr Harris reveals what a master of smoke and mirrors Bob Carr really is.”

“It’s smoke and mirrors. It’s bogus. And it’s all too familiar. Every time we get close to passing reform, the insurance companies produce these phony studies as a prescription and say, "Take one of these, and call us in a decade."”

“As for the IRP, Secretary of State Grant Shapps continues to peddle snake oil, smoke and mirrors. His reaction to near-universal IRP condemnation from politicians, local and national media, and all but a few rail specialists was to dismiss the lot of us (in the condescending and patronising tone we have now come to expect) as "critics and naysayers".”

“Reflecting on the memories shared with their family, adult children may wonder: "Was it all smoke and mirrors? Were they ever really happy?", Hughes says.”

CEFR level