Obs. exc. in F. form supercherie. Also 6 -chierie, 7 -chiery, 7–8 -cherie. [a. F. supercherie, ad. It. superchieria (var. soverchieria), f. superchio (var. soverchio) superfluous, excessive, OSp., Pg. sobejo:—pop.L. *superculu-s, f. super over, above.]
1. An attack made upon one at a disadvantage; (a piece of) foul play.
1598. Florio, Ital. Dict., Soperchiaria, a superchierie, a wrong or iniury offred with ods or aduantage, also superfluitie, an affront. Ibid. (1603), Montaigne, II. xxvii. 400. It is a Superchiery,… as being wel armed, to charge a man who hath but a piece of a sword, or being sound and strong, to set vpon a man sore hurt.
1639. Chas. I., Declar. Tumults Scot., 380. By their supercherie violence and terrifications.
1656. Earl Monm., trans. Boccalini’s Advts. fr. Parnass., I. lxxi. (1674), 90. [The] swaggering companions, which he was accustomed to make use of in his supercheries and foul play to men of honour.
2. Trickery, deceit. Also with a and pl.
1650. Earl Monm., trans. Senault’s Man bec. Guilty, 168. All men know these Messengers [sc. the senses] are unfaithfull,… and that Nature hath given her [sc. the soul] an inward light, to free herself from their Superchery.
1716. M. Davies, Athen. Brit., III. Arianism, 3. He was not likely to succeed in that Supercherie, by Reason of … almost unavoidable Certainty of being discover’d immediately.
1781. H. Walpole, Lett. to Mann, 13 July. That I might not contribute … to any legal supercherie, I insisted [etc.].
[1811. Gifford, in M. Napier’s Corr. (1879), 3. A little supercherie of which I have been guilty in filching a couple of lines from one of your quotations.]
