Sleight of hand

Sleight of hand is the deceiving of someone in a skilful way.
was obviously no sleight to the late entertainer.

there was careful nuance in his words.

we know that people are innocent until proven otherwise."

Rodriguez has been on a tear recently, hitting .407 with a double, eight home runs and 22 RBIs in his past 16 games.

Yet for Rodriguez, there is something special about Angel Stadium, where he continues to rake.

You make adjustments as you get more starts under your belt and you try to improve on every start.

That's not as easy as it looks. Joba came on the scene and set the world on fire, and people expect him to be perfect all the time. That's not going to be."

slug·fest /ˈslʌgfest/ n [C] informal especially AmE
a situation in which people are arguing or fighting in a rude or angry way

a 15-9 slugfest victory
A game in which there are many hits and runs scored.

Pluck a pigeon is slang for to cheat a gullible person out of his money. To fleece a greenhorn.

gul·li·ble /ˈgʌlɪbəl/ adj
too ready to believe what other people tell you, so that you are easily tricked


greenhorn---someone who lacks experience of something