misdirectors
Those who mislead
Misdirectors are people or things that direct attention away from something, often deliberately.
A stage magician is a skilled misdirector, drawing your eyes one way while the trick happens elsewhere.
The term applies broadly to anyone who misleads or diverts: The campaign's misdirectors kept the press focused on trivialities.
Those who mislead intentionally
- manipulatorsPeople who influence deceitfully
- misleadersThose who guide wrongly
- trickstersThose who mislead deliberately
- charlatansPretenders to special knowledge
fraudsters · conmen · swindlers · impostors · scammers · hoaxers · liars · grifters
Practitioners of sleight-of-hand
- illusionistsEntertainers creating false perceptions
- conjurersPractitioners of stage magic
- prestidigitatorsSkilled hand-trick performers
- sleight-of-handSkillful manual deception
escapologists · mentalists · trickery · diversion · distraction · feints · smoke and mirrors · vanishing acts
Experts in maneuvering
- decoysObjects meant to mislead
- diversionsEntertainments or alternate routes
- feintsMock offensive movements
- flankingAt the sides of
ambush · counterintelligence · disinformation · psyops · red herrings · false flags · bait · lures
Those who obscure meaning
- muddlersDrink-crushing bar tools
- confusersThings that perplex
- befuddlersThings causing mental fog
- mystifiersThose who confuse deliberately
bamboozlers · disorientation · bewilderment · perplexity · ambiguity · vagueness · red herrings · wild goose chase
deceivers
Those who mislead intentionally
- manipulatorsPeople who influence deceitfully
- misleadersThose who guide wrongly
- trickstersThose who mislead deliberately
charlatans · fraudsters · conmen · swindlers · impostors · scammers · hoaxers · liars · grifters · schemers
magicians
Practitioners of sleight-of-hand
- illusionistsEntertainers creating false perceptions
- conjurersPractitioners of stage magic
- prestidigitatorsSkilled hand-trick performers
sleight-of-hand · escapologists · mentalists · trickery · diversion · distraction · feints · smoke and mirrors · vanishing acts · card tricks
tacticians
Experts in maneuvering
- decoysObjects meant to mislead
- diversionsEntertainments or alternate routes
- feintsMock offensive movements
flanking · ambush · counterintelligence · disinformation · psyops · red herrings · false flags · bait · lures · smoke screens
obfuscators
Those who obscure meaning
- muddlersDrink-crushing bar tools
- confusersThings that perplex
- befuddlersThings causing mental fog
mystifiers · bamboozlers · disorientation · bewilderment · perplexity · ambiguity · vagueness · red herrings · wild goose chase · dead ends
misdirectorsguides
Those who show directions
directors · navigators · pathfinders · mentors · orienters
misdirectorstruth-tellers
Those who state facts
honest brokers · straight shooters · clarifiers · illuminators · informants
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