shlenter
English
editAlternative forms
editEtymology
editFrom Afrikaans slenter (“ploy, scam, stroll, saunter”).
Noun
editshlenter (plural shlenters)
- A fake, especially a fake diamond.
- A scam, ploy, fraud, trick.
- 2010, Peter Taylor, “Trip to Appelboskraal via Stadsaal”, in South African Trips:
- I did a shlenter. I went up to the girl while she was opening the gate and asked her to leave it open.
- A scammer.
Verb
editshlenter (third-person singular simple present shlenters, present participle shlentering, simple past and past participle shlentered)
- (rare, transitive) To acquire in an underhanded way.
- (rare, transitive) To scam, fool, deceive, trick.
- 2016, Bridget Hilton-Barber, Student Comrade Prisoner Spy: A memoir:
- In the time I spend at Rhodes I will encounter many brilliant minds and come to understand principles, strategies and tactics, caucusing, shlentering, back-stabbing, manipulation, campaigning, alliances – and I will also witness the depths of human determination and depravity, and the utter Shakespearean nature of it all.
Adjective
editshlenter (not comparable)
- Fake, not genuine, counterfeit.
- 1881 February 28, “Dunedin Races. Third Day.”, in North Otago Times, NZ, volume XXVIII, number 2713, page 2:
- There was a good deal of talk on the about about certain racing men last evening publicly taking "shlenter" wages …
- 1899, Anna Dunphy Bremont, The Gentleman Digger:
- "Of course," whispers the seller, who had pushed his way to the side of the buyer, "this sale was only shlenter."