chancer

American  

[chan-ser, chahn-] / ˈtʃæn sər, ˈtʃɑn- /

noun

Chiefly British.

1. a person who takes many risks.

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chancer British  

/ ˈtʃɑːnsə /

noun

1. slang an unscrupulous or dishonest opportunist who is prepared to try any dubious scheme for making money or furthering his or her own ends

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Etymology

Origin of chancer

First recorded in 1880–85; chance + -er ¹

Example Sentences

Far from being unique or “a heroic visionary,” Columbus was a typical merchant-seafarer of his time, combining the energies of a Genoese mercantile chancer with the drive of a man who wanted to get rich.

From The Wall Street Journal

He worked regularly in British television after that, including recurring roles on “Chancer,” “The House of Windsor” and other series in the 1990s.

From New York Times

Television work included dramas such as Chancer and Summer's Lease.

From BBC

Flitcroft was front and back page news, with headlines celebrating the plucky chancer who had conned the R&A.

From BBC

At the center is the enigmatic figure of Mattan — “a nomad, a chancer, a fighter, a rebel” — who by his mid-20s had already crisscrossed the world by sea only to end up in Cardiff’s Tiger Bay soon after World War II. Nicknamed “the Shadow,” he haunts the dockyards, racetracks and beer halls, skirting the police as best he can.

From Los Angeles Times