I. shə̇ˈkān, chə̇- verb
( -ed/-ing/-s )
Etymology: French chicaner, from Middle French, to quibble, prevent justice
intransitive verb
: to use chicanery : employ shifts, subterfuges, or artifices
a wretch he had taught to lie and chicane — George Meredith
transitive verb
: to cavil at : quibble over ; also : trick , cheat , dupe
he chicaned the widow out of her property
II. noun
( -s )
Etymology: French, from Middle French, from chicaner
1.
a. : deception usually by legalistic subterfuge : chicanery
the lawyer is exclusively occupied with the details of predatory fraud, either in achieving or checkmating chicane — Thorstein Veblen
b. : an instance of chicane : subterfuge , quibble
2. : an obstacle especially on a racecourse
3. : the absence of any trumps in a hand of cards just dealt, in some forms of bridge formerly scoring as simple honors
Synonyms: see deception
III. adjective
Etymology: chicane (II)
1. : having no trumps — used of a player or his hand of cards
2. slang : having no money : broke
IV. noun
: a series of tight turns in opposite directions in an otherwise straight stretch of a road-racing course