Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
🤠 A cowboy 🎲 A decoy 🧵 A rope maker
roper

roper

1 9.9
A person who lures people into a gambling place to cheat them
  • noun
  • /ˈroʊpər/
  • Archaic
translation icon : gancho
  • Oh, and tell Danny I know the perfect guy we can use for the roper at the Expo.

Examples

  • And, very likely, the roper who'd tried to trap Nancy.

    Fiction book (1993)

  • I stayed with them; that's the roper's job. I made them get up every penny they could raise and turn it all over to Cole.

    Fiction book (1990)

  • The inside man, the roper, the shills, everyone, that is, except for the mark."

    Confidence (2003)

  • I will bet he was a roper from the Levee.

    Fiction book (1993)

  • I'm still the best long-con roper you'll ever see.

    Fiction book (1990)

  • The roper nudges Roy, then reaches out and crimps the ace.

    Fiction book (1990)

  • He acted as a roper, luring unsuspecting customers into the gambling den.

  • At the casino, the roper made sure to attract new players with tempting offers.

  • The skilled roper managed to bring in several clients for the scheme.

Synonyms

ringer
vsroper
  • Informal
8 8.6

A person secretly added to a team to give it an unfair advantage

instead works by attracting customers into rigged gambling setups
rooker
vsroper
  • Offensive
1 9.9

A person who cheats others to get money or things

focuses on luring customers into corrupt gambling venues
angler
vsroper
  • Offensive
1 8.5

A person who secretly tries to get an advantage by tricking others

specializes in luring people into dishonest gambling rooms
magsman
vsroper
  • Archaic
9.9

A person who tricks others using clever talk to take their money

acts as a lure to bring customers into dishonest gambling

Surface Forms

roper singular
ropers plural

Morphology

roper = rope (transparent) = rope + er

Agentive formation from the verb 'to rope' in the sense 'to rope in' (to lure), yielding 'one who ropes (in people)'.

Etymology

Roper in this sense is a helpful way to remember the phrase 'to rope someone in'—with rope ('a cord') and -er 'one who', a roper is 'one who ropes people in', meaning someone who lures customers into a game or trap.