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"In one illustration of the mashup of sacred and superstitious, [author Tabitha] Stanmore describes a 'trial by combat' ... to win Sherborne Castle. The devious bishop sewed 'prayers and charms' inside his fighter's coat to give him an edge. The stratagem was discovered, but the cunning cleric won the castle and kept his miter." — Liesl Schillinger, The New York Times, 7 July 2024

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A stratagem is any clever scheme—sometimes one that's part of an overall strategy (i.e., a carefully prepared plan of action). The word stratagem entered English in the 15th century and was originally used in reference to some artifice, such as a military plan or maneuver, that was designed to deceive or outwit the enemy. This military sense can be traced back to the word's Greek ancestor stratēgein, meaning "to act as a general." Stratēgein, in turn, comes from stratēgos (meaning "general"), which comes from stratos ("camp" or "army") and agein ("to lead"). Stratēgos is an ancestor of strategy as well; that word arrived in English more than a century after stratagem.