The phrase "a common trick of" is correct and usable in written English.
It can be used to describe a frequently employed method or tactic, often with a slightly negative connotation.
Example: "The magician's performance included a common trick of making objects disappear."
Alternatives: "a typical ploy of" or "a frequent tactic of".
It seems a common trick of grammar school supporters to dismiss views on the matter from anybody who did not attend a comprehensive.
This is a common trick of psychologists, to pretend they solved a riddle of the human mind by giving it a name, when all they've done is invented an agreed upon name for the mystery rather than solved it.
Entertainers and charlatans who claim to read minds use a common trick of stating the obvious.
Severe deficiency in TAAs is a common trick of tumour immune escape in primary cancer and/or during postsurgical relapse (Schreiber et al, 2011; Fu, 2012).
This is a common trick of cafes and restaurants that serve garlic bread as an entree, or bread and olive oil for dipping, as you're more likely to enjoy your meal and less likely to leave the table hungry.
The researchers use a common trick to get rid of metallic tubes: turn a transistor off and apply a high voltage that blows out the metallic tubes.
While inferring the parameters of our mixture models, some clusters will tend to cover most of the data points using large variances: a common trick to avoid this from happening is to introduce hard limits on such parameters.
(Adding a zero to the number of patches prescribed is a common trick, apparently).
(This is a common trick with tip jars).
Konstantin Batozsky, an advisor to the former governor of Donetsk, told VICE News that printing extra ballots off the press was a common trick in local elections.
This, according to these sources, is a common trick used by Communists.
