Cardsharps

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Individuals who engage in cheating at card games, often employing deceptive tactics to gain an unfair advantage
2. Con artists who specialize in manipulating card games for profit, frequently using sleight of hand or other tricks
3. Gamblers or players who utilize cunning and guile to swindle unsuspecting opponents during card play

Etymology: The most surprising thing about "cardsharps" is that the "sharp" in it has nothing to do with blades or cleverness. In the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, "sharp" was a slang word for a cheat, someone who fleeced people out of their money, and a "cardsharp" was simply a card cheat. The Oxford English Dictionary, which traces the sense to the early modern period, records "sharp" in this dishonest sense, so the compound is a plain pairing of "card" with a word for a swindler. The image of the trade is vivid in art. Caravaggio painted a canvas around 1594 titled "The Cardsharps," showing two men at a table. One hides extra cards tucked into the back of his belt, while the other looks over the shoulder of the wealthy young player he is fleecing and signals his hand to his partner. The painting shows the method as clearly as any dictionary entry could.

Synonyms: gamblers, cheats, con artists, swindlers, grifters