Ploying

[ploi] /plɔɪ/

noun
1.
a maneuver or stratagem, as in conversation, to gain the advantage.
verb (used with object)
2.
Military Archaic. to move (troops) from a line into a column.
Compare .
verb (used without object)
3.
Military Archaic. to move from a line into a column.
/plɔɪ/
noun
1.
a manoeuvre or tactic in a game, conversation, etc; stratagem; gambit
2.
any business, job, hobby, etc, with which one is occupied: angling is his latest ploy
3.
(mainly Brit) a frolic, escapade, or practical joke
n.

1722, “anything with which one amuses oneself,” Scottish and northern England dialect, possibly a shortened form of employ or deploy. Popularized in the sense “move or gambit made to gain advantage” by British humorist Stephen Potter (1900-1969).

noun

A device or stratagem; a move, esp one designed to disconcert an opponent while keeping one’s position; a shrewd maneuver

[1722+; apparently fr Scots dialect; popularized by the late British humorist Stephen Potter]