Machination

[KatyBr]

mach·i·na·tion (mk-nshn, msh-)
n.
1. The act of plotting.
2. A crafty scheme or cunning design for the accomplishment of a sinister end.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition copyright ©2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Updated in 2003. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
ThesaurusLegend: Synonyms Related Words Antonyms
Noun 1. machination - a crafty and involved plot to achieve your (usually sinister) ends
intrigue
plot, secret plan, game - a secret scheme to do something (especially something underhand or illegal); "they concocted a plot to discredit the governor"; "I saw through his little game from the start"
priestcraft - a derogatory reference to priests who use their influence to control secular or political affairs

Examples from classic literature: More
Jealousy, fury, offended pride, all the passions in short that dispute the heart of an outraged woman in love, urged her to make a revelation; but she reflected that she would be totally lost if she confessed having assisted in such a machination, and above all, that D'Artagnan would also be lost to her forever.
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The Three Musketeers by Dumas, Alexandre The prelate asked himself by what infernal machination his enemies had succeeded in depriving him of the means of going further, - he who never recognized chance as a deity, who found a cause for every accident, preferred believing that the refusal of the postmaster, at such an hour, in such a country, was the consequence of an order emanating from above: an order given with a view of stopping short the king-maker in the midst of his flight.
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The Man in the Iron Mask by Dumas, Alexandre But
what he had seen at Perros, what he had heard behind the dressing-room door, his conversation with Christine at the edge of the moor made him suspect some machination which, devilish though it might be, was none the less human.
The Phantom of the Opera by Leroux, Gaston freedictionary

a plot a fabrication, A Sting? Yup a good word all around

Katy

[Slava]

Silly me, until just a few years ago, I always pronounced this with the "sh" of machine. Imagine my surprise when I found out it was "mack." The learning curve goes on and on, doesn't it?