prestidigital

Updated: May 22, 2025

It was no more than natural that the desperado should ask himself whether he was right in blaming fortune for the cards which he drew. There came a new deal and time to draw again. "Two," John Ringo muttered. Kettle-Belly Johnson held up a single finger; and when he had got his card, performed one of those prestidigital feats by which he made his living.

Frederick R. (Frederick Ritchie) Bechdolt - When the West Was Young

Presently I saw with a qualm of distrust and something very like jealousy that Gip had hold of this person's finger as usually he has hold of mine. No doubt the fellow was interesting, I thought, and had an interestingly faked lot of stuff, really GOOD faked stuff, still I wandered after them, saying very little, but keeping an eye on this prestidigital fellow. After all, Gip was enjoying it.

H. G. (Herbert George) Wells - Twelve Stories and a Dream

Previously, unless Pythagoras was a goose, he had been a pole-cat. Meadows was ambidexter. The two hands he gathered coin with were Meadows and Crawley. The first his honest, hard-working hand; the second his three-fingered Jack, his prestidigital hand; with both he now worked harder than ever.

Charles Reade - It Is Never Too Late to Mend

Presently I saw with a qualm of distrust and something very like jealousy that Gip had hold of this person's finger as usually he has hold of mine. No doubt the fellow was interesting, I thought, and had an interestingly faked lot of stuff, really good faked stuff, still I wandered after them, saying very little, but keeping an eye on this prestidigital fellow. After all, Gip was enjoying it.

H. G. (Herbert George) Wells - The Country of the Blind, and Other Stories