Shonk

Part of speech: verb, noun

Definitions

1. To deceive or defraud someone out of money or goods ; a person who engages in dishonest or deceptive dealings
2. To trick someone through dishonest means ; a swindler or fraudster who operates deceptively
3. To cheat or con someone out of what they are owed ; an unreliable individual who practices deception or fraud

Etymology: Australian and British slang for a dishonest scheme or a shoddy, unreliable thing, "shonk" has a murky ancestry. The only firm lead is a possible link to "shonicker," another slang term, and nothing in the record confirms which way the influence ran. Because the origin is unsettled, the most useful thing to know is the family resemblance: "shonk" is the root of "shonky," the adjective most people meet in everyday speech, as in a shonky deal or a shonky car. That adjective describes something that looks acceptable on the surface but cannot be trusted underneath.