Deceit
The Cyclopedic Law Dictionary · Walter A. Shumaker and George Foster Longsdorf; ed. James C. Cahill · 1922
The Cyclopedic Law Dictionary
A fraudulent misrepresentation or contrivance, by which one man deceives another, who has no means of detecting the fraud, to the injury and damage of the latter. It requires (1) a false representation; (2) inability of the person damaged to prevent the fraud; (3) resultant damage. Deceit is a type of fraud (Bigelow, Frauds, § 1); fraud being the generic term, and deceit being active fraud by misrepresentation, or other positive contrivance. DECEM TALES (Lat. ten such).
In practice
A writ requiring the sheriff to appoint ten like men {apponere decern tales) to make up a full jury when a sufficient number do not appear.