four-flusher
Britishnoun
Explanation
Anyone who plays poker knows five cards in a single suit is called a flush. What happens if you have only four of that suit? A whole lot of nothing, which gives us the word four-flusher, a person bluffing at cards, or someone who seems promising, but isn't. Use four-flusher as a synonym for conman, trickster, or fake. You won't hear it used very often these days, but hop in a time machine (a four-flusher will sell you a ticket), travel back to the Old West, kick open the bat-wing doors of the local saloon, and you might hear four-flusher slung across a card table as a brawl gets underway. You might even hear it used as a verb, as in, "You better stop four-flushing, or I'll run you out of this town on a pole."
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
He should be unmasked as the four-flusher he really is.
From Time Magazine Archive
A four-flusher is a hick that admits bein' a better singer than Caruso, a better ball-player than Ty Cobb, a better real estate judge than Columbus and more of a chance taker than Napoleon.
From Kid Scanlan by H. C. (Harry Charles) Witwer
He'd thought the world of Don Roberts, who had turned out a four-flusher.
From Rough-Hewn by Dorothy Canfield
"Has this four-flusher been up to his tricks again?"
From Kid Wolf of Texas by Paul S. (Paul Sylvester) Powers
But I can't let that four-flusher pull the wool over your eyes without saying, 'Beware of the dog.'
From The Lever A Novel by William Dana Orcutt
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