con man
a person who tricks or cheats others
TRANSLATION
con man = der Trickbetrüger, der Hochstapler, der Bauernfänger con = die Schwindelei (woerterbuch.info) --- GOOGLE INDEX con man: approximately 1,400,000 hits
STATISTICS
IN THE PRESS
A CON MAN who tricked investors out of more than £2.7m has been ordered to hand it back.
(Northamptonshire Evening Telegraph, UK)
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An Internet CONMAN has been jailed after his victims launched an online manhunt in an attempt to catch him.
(The Argus.co.uk)
(Northamptonshire Evening Telegraph, UK)
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An Internet CONMAN has been jailed after his victims launched an online manhunt in an attempt to catch him.
(The Argus.co.uk)
Did you
know?
con man (also written conman)
noun phrase
- a person who deceives other people by making them believe something false or making them give money away
con
noun
- a trick to get someone's money, or make them do what you want
con
verb
- to make someone believe something false, usually so that they will give you their money or possessions
(Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary)
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WORD ORIGIN
Con man is short for the American expression "confidence man," a term that dates back to the mid 19th century. It describes someone who makes others give away money or other possessions as an expression of CONfidence (confidence comes from the Latin confidere, meaning faith or trust).
The world has seen its share of con men such as Victor Lustig, a Czech-born man who moved to Paris and "sold" the Eiffel Tower to a scrap metal dealer. Lustig convinced the dealer that the city of Paris could no longer afford to maintain the famous tower and had contracted him to find a buyer for the metal. After the dealer discovered he had been "conned," he decided not to tell the authorities because he was so embarrassed.
George Parker was one the most famous con men in America. He made a living selling New York City landmarks to unsuspecting tourists. Apart from the Statue of Liberty, his favourite object was the Brooklyn Bridge, which he is reported to have sold on average two times a week. He convinced the buyers they could make money by controlling access.
The police would occasionally have to remove the buyers from the bridge after they had set up toll barriers to collect money from motorcar drivers. Parker's adventures passed into popular culture, leading to phrases such as "and if you believe that, I have a bridge to sell you", a way of expressing a belief that someone is naïve.
(sources: The List Universe)
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SYNONYMS
con artist, confidence man, chiseller, defrauder, grifter, scammer, swindler, gouger
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SMUGGLE OWAD INTO TODAY'S CONVERSATION:
"Big cities like New York are well known for having a con man on every street corner."
noun phrase
- a person who deceives other people by making them believe something false or making them give money away
con
noun
- a trick to get someone's money, or make them do what you want
con
verb
- to make someone believe something false, usually so that they will give you their money or possessions
(Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary)
---
WORD ORIGIN
Con man is short for the American expression "confidence man," a term that dates back to the mid 19th century. It describes someone who makes others give away money or other possessions as an expression of CONfidence (confidence comes from the Latin confidere, meaning faith or trust).
The world has seen its share of con men such as Victor Lustig, a Czech-born man who moved to Paris and "sold" the Eiffel Tower to a scrap metal dealer. Lustig convinced the dealer that the city of Paris could no longer afford to maintain the famous tower and had contracted him to find a buyer for the metal. After the dealer discovered he had been "conned," he decided not to tell the authorities because he was so embarrassed.
George Parker was one the most famous con men in America. He made a living selling New York City landmarks to unsuspecting tourists. Apart from the Statue of Liberty, his favourite object was the Brooklyn Bridge, which he is reported to have sold on average two times a week. He convinced the buyers they could make money by controlling access.
The police would occasionally have to remove the buyers from the bridge after they had set up toll barriers to collect money from motorcar drivers. Parker's adventures passed into popular culture, leading to phrases such as "and if you believe that, I have a bridge to sell you", a way of expressing a belief that someone is naïve.
(sources: The List Universe)
---
SYNONYMS
con artist, confidence man, chiseller, defrauder, grifter, scammer, swindler, gouger
---
SMUGGLE OWAD INTO TODAY'S CONVERSATION:
"Big cities like New York are well known for having a con man on every street corner."
