paperhanger
A person who pays with fake money or bad checks
- noun
- /ˈpeɪpərˌhæŋər/
- Archaic
:
estafador
- The authorities arrested him for being a notorious paperhanger who wrote bad checks.
Examples
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They discovered that the paperhanger had been using counterfeit money at various stores.
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After his last fraudulent transaction, the paperhanger fled the country to escape prosecution.
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The worst thing a paperhanger can do is show his face.
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He's a dead paperhanger now.
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A goddamn paperhanger.
Synonyms
A person who tries to pass fake money as real
includes passing fake notes but also covers passing bad checks
A person who writes checks without enough money to get cash
is a broader term covering passing bad checks or counterfeit paper money
Surface Forms
paperhanger singular
paperhangers plural
Morphology
Etymology
Paperhanger also has an old slang use built from paper and 'hanger'; a helpful way to remember this meaning is to imagine someone who 'hangs' bad paper on others — they try to pass fake money or bad checks.