The “get them drunk and butcher the lot of them” stratagem was the oldest trick in the book, or would have been if barbarians bothered with books.
—Terry Pratchett, Interesting Times (1994)

Framing somebody to start a war.  Oldest trick in the book.
—Rick Riordan, Percy Jackson and the Olympians (2005)

[S]he walked out of the studio one day, just like that.  Pfft.”  He made a little gesture with his hands.  —Robert Rodi, Kept Boy.

The oldest trick for getting people together is to offer to feed them.
—Wayne Erbsen, Old Time Gospel Songbook (1993)

Born helpless, nude and unable to provide for himself, Lore Sjöberg eventually overcame these handicaps to become a handyman, a handicapper and a handmaiden.

Flimflammed.  Hornswoggled.  The oldest trick in the book.
—Barbara Croft, Moon’s Crossing (2003)

Reader Comments:

Jonathan wrote:

Dear Ms. Croft:

I was recently flimflammed, or possibly hornswoggled.  I'm okay with this; but what concerns me is that I don't know the difference.  Are there guidelines that you can furnish that will allow me, in future, to approach flimflamming and hornswoggling interactions with a better ability to distinguish the two?

bamboozled,
jc-e

Flattery: It’s the oldest trick in the book.  And on most people, it works.
—Wilma Davidson, Most Likely to Succeed at Work (2003)