stratagem
/icons/point.icon How to Use Stratagem vs. strategy Correctly – Grammarist
Stratagem and strategy are sometimes interchangeable, but they are usually not synonyms. The more common strategy is broader. Its main definitions are (1) a plan of action intended to accomplish a specific goal, and (2) the art or skill of using plans or stratagems, especially in war. Stratagem is sometimes synonymous with strategy in military contexts, but its primary definition is a clever scheme for achieving an objective, often by deceiving an enemy. So while strategy can denote any plan of action, stratagem usually implies subterfuge or unconventional tactics.
/icons/point.icon TRICK, RUSE, STRATAGEM, MANEUVER, ARTIFICE, WILE, FEINT mean an indirect means to gain an end.
TRICK may imply deception, roguishness, illusion, and either an evil or harmless end.
e.g. the tricks of the trade
RUSE stresses an attempt to mislead by a false impression.
e.g. the ruses of smugglers
STRATAGEM implies a ruse used to entrap, outwit, circumvent, or surprise an opponent or enemy.
e.g. the stratagem-filled game
MANEUVER suggests adroit and skillful avoidance of difficulty.
e.g. last-minute maneuvers to avert bankruptcy
ARTIFICE implies ingenious contrivance or invention.
e.g. the clever artifices of the stage
WILE suggests an attempt to entrap or deceive with false allurements.
e.g. used all of his wiles to ingratiate himself
FEINT implies a diversion or distraction of attention away from one's real intent.
e.g. a feint toward the enemy's left flank
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noun
a plan or scheme, especially one used to outwit an opponent or achieve an end:
戦略, 軍略, 計略, 策略
e.g. a series of devious stratagems.
archaic skill in devising plans or schemes; cunning.
ORIGIN
late 15th century (originally denoting a military ploy): from French stratagème, via Latin from Greek stratēgēma, from stratēgein ‘be a general’, from stratēgos, from stratos ‘army’ + agein ‘to lead’.