magsman

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English

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Etymology

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From mag +‎ -s- +‎ man, of unclear origin. It has been suggested that mag was dialect for halfpenny[1] or for prattle.[2]

Noun

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magsman (plural magsmen)

  1. (archaic) A con man who tries to deceive members of the public.
    • 1846, George William MacArthur Reynolds, The Mysteries of London, page 60:
      […] M was a Magsman, frequenting Pall-Mall; / N was a Nose that turned chirp on his pal; […]

References

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  1. ^ 2011, Jonathon Green, Crooked Talk: Five Hundred Years of the Language of Crime, Random House →ISBN
  2. ^ Oxford Dictionaries

Anagrams

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