Curious arts

(Acts 19:19), magical arts; jugglery practised by the Ephesian conjurers. Ephesus was noted for its wizard and the "Ephesian spells;" i.e., charms or scraps of parchment written over with certain formula, which were worn as a safeguard against all manner of evils. The more important and powerful of these charms were written out in books which circulated among the exorcists, and were sold at a great price.

Noah Webster's New International Dictionary of the English Language

1. (a.) Difficult to please or satisfy; solicitous to be correct; careful; scrupulous; nice; exact.

2. (a.) Exhibiting care or nicety; artfully constructed; elaborate; wrought with elegance or skill.

3. (a.) Careful or anxious to learn; eager for knowledge; given to research or inquiry; habitually inquisitive; prying; -- sometimes with after or of.

4. (a.) Exciting attention or inquiry; awakening surprise; inviting and rewarding inquisitiveness; not simple or plain; strange; rare.