I. fə̇ˈnes noun
( -s )
Etymology: Middle English, from Middle French, from fin fine — more at fine
1. : fineness or delicacy especially of workmanship, structure, texture, or flavor
trinkets of an extreme finesse — Arnold Rosin
the wines … make up in richness and bigness what they lack in finesse — H.T.Grossman
2. : delicate skill : exquisite grace : subtlety , refinement
it is no surprise to find him playing with persuasion and finesse — Howard Barnes
3.
a. : adroit maneuvering : cunning , strategy
Danish finesse , which consists of a fine balance of imagination and horse sense — Atlantic
b. : trick , stratagem
it is a frequently available finesse , in such positions, not to capture hostile pawns, but to pass them by — C.T.S.Purdy
4. : deliberate omission to play one's highest card in a suit in bridge or deliberate omission to trump in the hope or assurance that a lower card played from one's own or one's partner's hand will take the trick because the only higher opposing card is in the hand of an opponent who has already played to the trick
II. verb
( -ed/-ing/-s )
intransitive verb
: to make a finesse in playing cards — sometimes used with for
finesse for the jack
or against
finesse against opponent on the right
transitive verb
1.
a. : to play (a card) as a finesse
can finesse the jack if the queen lies on the right
b. : to play a card one lower than (the middle card of a three-card sequence)
hoped by playing the jack to finesse the queen
c. : to refrain from topping the lead of (one's partner) with a card two points higher in hope that the intervening card is not in the fourth hand and therefore cannot win the trick
2. : to bring about or manage by adroit maneuvering : maneuver
the man who finessed the entry of American troops into New Caledonia without firing a shot — Joseph Driscoll
finesse his way through tight places where the flick of an eyelash might mean death — Marquis James
: get the better of by adroit maneuvering : get around : evade , trick
trying to finesse an eagle-eyed editor who's on to all the tricks — J.C.G.Conniff
finessed rather than faced the hottest critical barrage of his prime-ministership — Time
felt that in some way he had been finessed, and was trying to figure out where — Robertson Davies
3. : to play (a croquet ball) into a position where it will be of the least use to an opponent