card shark
3
8.2
- noun
- /kɑrd ʃɑrk/
- Informal
:
estafador de cartas
- The documentary revealed how the card sharks manipulate games to cheat unsuspecting players.
- card shark and hustler
Examples
-
His shiny skin and small mustache reminded Maggie of a card shark; in another life, he would have worn a Panama hat.
Fiction book (2001) -
But then he realized that Amanda was looking not at Greenleaf, but at Humphries, who sat calmly in his chair, his face as expressionless as a professional card shark, his hands in his lap.
Fiction book (2001) -
A card shark who plays his hand close.
Blog text (18) -
By the time we left Austria, I was something of a card shark.
Fiction book (1990) -
Same place I left a gold claim to a card shark named Weston.
-
That's Walker and Pinnick over there pretending they're card sharks.
-
NICKY is at a table with his gang of card sharks: SLIM, ROCKY, MOOSH, and COWBOY, all secretly signaling each other, sandbagging a mark.
Fiction book (1995) -
At the casino, he was known as a card shark who always managed to win big by using clever tricks.
-
She gained a reputation as a card shark after consistently beating everyone at bridge night.
Synonyms
91
7.9
A person who uses skill and cheating to get money from others
50
9.9
A person who cheats at card games to win money
1
9.3
A person who cheats at card games to win money
1
8.8
A person who cheats at card games to win money
1
9.6
A person who cheats at card games to win money from other players
1
9.9
A card player who cheats to win money
A person who cheats at card games to win money
A person who cheats at card games to win money
How Skilled
Surface Forms
Morphology
The noun combines 'card' (relating to card games) with 'shark', a metaphorical use meaning a predatory or expert person. A B1 learner who knows both words can infer someone very skilled or aggressive at cards, but the specific nuance of professional cheating or swindling is an idiomatic extension and not fully predictable from the parts.
Etymology
The noun card shark may come from the image of shark as a dangerous fish that eats smaller fish, and with card it paints a picture of someone who takes advantage of other players at the table. So a card shark means a very skilled card player, often someone who 'cheats'.