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deceptive effort

[dɪˈsɛptɪv ˈɛfərt]
noun phrasepl: deceptive efforts
esforço enganoso
1. An attempt or action that appears to be genuine or sincere but is intended to mislead or trick someone
His apology was just a deceptive effort to regain her trust without changing his behavior.
Seu pedido de desculpas era apenas um esforço enganoso para recuperar a confiança dela sem mudar seu comportamento.
2. A misleading strategy or tactic employed to create a false impression of progress or achievement
The company's marketing campaign was a deceptive effort to hide their declining sales figures.
A campanha de marketing da empresa era um esforço enganoso para esconder seus números de vendas em declínio.
NYC Slang
phony move, fake hustle, con job
Synonyms
false effortmisleading attemptfraudulent endeavorinsincere trydeceitful attempt
Antonyms
genuine efforthonest attemptsincere endeavortruthful effort

Regional Variations

General Brazilian
esforço enganoso
most common usage
Rio de Janeiro
esforço enganador
alternative form used colloquially
São Paulo
esforço enganoso
standard usage
Portugal
esforço enganador
preferred in European Portuguese

Related Idioms & Phrases

pull the wool over someone's eyes
put on a false front
play-acting
smoke and mirrors
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