shyster
Other forms: shysters
A shyster is someone who might rip you off or do something unethical in order to get his way.
A used car salesman might tell you a car is a thousand dollars, but when you read the fine print, it turns out you’ll pay a lot more. That salesman is a shyster — someone who lies and deceives for his own benefit. The word comes from the 18th century German Scheisser, which is a vulgar term for “worthless person.” You can remember the meaning of shyster by remembering that it sounds like heist, since shysters are basically trying to rob you.
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a person (especially a lawyer or politician) who uses unscrupulous or unethical methodssynonyms: pettifogger
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Vocabulary lists containing shyster
During the Great Depression, Abilene Tucker tries to solve a mystery in her father's hometown of Manifest, Kansas, while also learning about Manifest's fascinating past.
These interlinked stories imagine the development of robotics while exploring the ethics of technological progress.
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