fancy vs illusion

fancy

noun
  • A whim. 

  • A diamond with a distinctive colour. 

  • The object of inclination or liking. 

  • In the game of jacks, a style of play involving additional actions (contrasted with plainsies). 

  • The imagination. 

  • A bite-sized sponge cake, with a layer of cream, covered in icing. 

  • Love or amorous attachment. 

  • The enthusiasts of such a pursuit. 

  • That which pleases or entertains the taste or caprice without much use or value. 

  • Any sport or hobby pursued by a group. 

  • An image or representation of anything formed in the mind. 

  • An opinion or notion formed without much reflection. 

verb
  • To appreciate without jealousy or greed. 

  • To have a fancy for; to like; to be pleased with, particularly on account of external appearance or manners. 

  • would like 

  • To form a conception of; to portray in the mind. 

  • To breed (animals) as a hobby. 

  • To be sexually attracted to. 

  • To imagine, suppose. 

adv
  • In a fancy manner; fancily. 

adj
  • Of a superior grade. 

  • Unnecessarily complicated. 

  • Executed with skill. 

  • Decorative, or featuring decorations, especially intricate or diverse ones. 

illusion

noun
  • A magician’s trick. 

  • A misapprehension; a belief in something that is in fact not true. 

  • Anything that seems to be something that it is not. 

  • The state of being deceived or misled. 

How often have the words fancy and illusion occurred in a corpus of books? (source: Google Ngram Viewer )