the oldest trick in the book

English

Phrase

the oldest trick in the book

1. A method of deception or trickery that has been overused so many times before that it should therefore be well-known or remain as common knowledge to everyone.

Further reading

• “the oldest trick in the book”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.
• “the oldest trick in the book”, in Cambridge English Dictionary, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire: Cambridge University Press, 1999–present.
• “the oldest trick in the book” (US) / “the oldest trick in the book” (UK) in Macmillan English Dictionary.
• “it's the oldest trick in the book”, in Collins English Dictionary.