1. (

• appliance ,
• contraption ,
• contrivance ,
• convenience ,
• gadget ,
• gizmo ,
• gismo ,
• widget

) a device or control that is very useful for a particular job ;

2. (

• contrivance ,

) the faculty of contriving; inventive skill; "his skillful contrivance of answers to every problem" ;

3. (

• contrivance ,
• stratagem ,
• dodge

) an elaborate or deceitful scheme contrived to deceive or evade; "his testimony was just a contrivance to throw us off the track" ;

4. (

• contrivance ,

) an artificial or unnatural or obviously contrived arrangement of details or parts etc.; "the plot contained too many improbable contrivances to be believable" ;

5. (

• lash-up ,
• contrivance ,

) any improvised arrangement for temporary use ;

6. (

• devisal ,
• contrivance ,

) the act of devising something ;