A.Word.A.Day --grift

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jake
rhubarb
grift
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A.Word.A.Day

with Anu Garg

grift

PRONUNCIATION:

(grift)

MEANING:

noun:
1. A swindle or a confidence game.
2. Money obtained by fraud.
verb tr., intr.:
To swindle someone; to obtain something by swindling.

ETYMOLOGY:

Of uncertain origin, perhaps an alteration of graft, the origin of which remains unknown as well.

USAGE:

"The real genius of the ever-evolving 419 scam is its ability to change with the times. Like Madonna or antibiotic-resistant staphylococcus, the money-advancing grift continuously reinvents itself to better infiltrate society's weaknesses."
Helen A.S. Popkin; Don't Get Taken by This Adorable Scam; MSNBC; Nov 7, 2007.

A THOUGHT FOR TODAY:

A good listener helps us overhear ourselves. -Yahia Lababidi, author (b. 1973)

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