This week’s theme
Misc words

This week’s words

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A.Word.A.Day

PRONUNCIATION:

(spiv)

MEANING:

noun: An unscrupulous person or a petty criminal, especially one who is sharply dressed.
verb intr.: To make a living unscrupulously.

ETYMOLOGY:

Of obscure origin, perhaps from spiff/spiffy (smartly dressed). Earliest documented use: 1929.

USAGE:

“She attracts spivs, conmen, and losers like iron filings to a magnet.”
Sheila Riley; The Mersey Orphan; Boldwood Books; 2019.

See more usage examples of spiv in Vocabulary.com’s dictionary.

A THOUGHT FOR TODAY: