slough shark
- noun
- Offensive
:
estafador
- Rumors spread quickly when another slough shark tried to con tourists out of their money.
Examples
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Many slough sharks target the elderly for scams.
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The old dock was haunted by a known slough shark who took advantage of newcomers.
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She managed to avoid the slough shark thanks to her friend's warning.
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The slough shark took advantage of her naivety.
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Many slough sharks use deceptive tactics to exploit vulnerable individuals.
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The community organized a seminar to educate people about how to identify a slough shark.
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Avoiding a slough shark can save you from falling victim to financial scams.
Antonyms
Surface Forms
Morphology
slough + shark
The noun 'shark' does suggest a predatory person, but 'slough' is rare/ambiguous (not listed) and provides no clear, compositional cue to mean 'preys on the vulnerable.' Because the first element is obscure and the combined phrase is a rare/idiomatic label, a B1 learner knowing the parts would not reliably infer the intended meaning.
Etymology
The noun slough shark may come from the image of a shark hunting in a slough, a small swamp or muddy place. One popular story says people who stayed in quiet, muddy spots and took advantage of newcomers were called slough sharks, so today the phrase means 'a dangerous person who preys on the vulnerable'.