Kidology is a British, playful word for kidding people as a method: making them believe something that is not true, as a joke or to get something done. It sounds like a school subject, as if winding people up were a science. It is not. The -ology is the joke. You might use a bit of kidology to get a child into bed, to bluff in a game, or to send a friend the wrong way for a laugh. It belongs in relaxed talk, not in a serious report. Though actually, it sits a little to the side of a cold lie. The feeling is often “I am playing with you,” not “I am trying to ruin you.” If the harm is real, people reach for cheat, fraud, or lie instead.