bunco

(buŋ′kō)

☆

noun pl. buncos

Informal a swindle, esp. at a card game or lottery; confidence game

Origin: c. 1875 < Sp banca, card game < It, bank

transitive verb buncoed, buncoing

Informal to swindle; cheat

See bunco in American Heritage Dictionary 4

also bun·ko

noun pl. bun·cos also bun·kos

A swindle in which an unsuspecting person is cheated; a confidence game.

transitive verb bun·coed also bun·koed, bun·co·ing also bun·ko·ing, bun·cos also bun·kos

To swindle.

Origin:

Origin: Probably alteration of Spanish banca, card game

Origin: , from Italian banca, bank

Origin: , of Germanic origin; see bank²

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