1
general::
Phrase(s): smoke and mirrors
deception and confusion. (Said of statements or more complicated rhetoric used to mislead people rather than inform. Alludes to the way a magician uses optical illusion to create believability while performing a trick. Fixed order.) • Most people know that the politician was just using smoke and mirrors to make things look better than they really were. • Her report was little more than smoke and mirrors. No one will believe any of it.
McGrawhill's American Idioms And Phrasal Verbs