Log in or Sign up
  1. bunco love

Definitions

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition

  1. n. A swindle in which an unsuspecting person is cheated; a confidence game.
  2. v. To swindle.

Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia

  1. n. See bunko.

Wiktionary

  1. n. US, slang A swindle or confidence trick.
  2. n. A parlour game played in teams with three dice, originating in England but popular among suburban women in the United States at the beginning of the 21st century.
  3. v. transitive, intransitive, US, slang To swindle (someone).

GNU Webster's 1913

  1. n. see bunko.

WordNet 3.0

  1. v. deprive of by deceit
  2. n. a swindle in which you cheat at gambling or persuade a person to buy worthless property

Etymologies

  1. Reportedly from Spanish banca, a card game. (Wiktionary)
  2. Probably alteration of Spanish banca, card game, from Italian banca, bank, of Germanic origin; see bank2. (American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition)

Examples

  • “The New York _World_ described the transaction between the government and the Morgan Company as a "bunco" game, and charged that”

    The United States Since the Civil War

  • “It affects your peer group, who your kids play with, and what church, Little League, or bunco group you participate in.”

    The Huffington Post: Chris Ladd: Attack of the Vampire Mortgages

  • “A game of strip bunco ensued with Vinnie and his gang.”

    Simon & Schuster: Mercy Kill

  • “Unluckily for us, members of the Use It or Lose It bunco club made good on their motto to play bunco from “every church hall to every pool hall” in our fair county.”

    Simon & Schuster: Mercy Kill

  • “They were easy game for the others, who saw clearly and knew the bunco game for what it was.”

    Chapter V

  • “Five thousand for a claim on that damned moose-pasture is bunco.”

    Chapter XI

  • “Where the bunco came in was in the distribution of these things after labor had created them.”

    Chapter V

  • “Then there were the fools who took the organized bunco game seriously, honoring and respecting it.”

    Chapter V

  • “I wonder how the hell you morons digest the b.s. that this bunco chef serves up day after day.”

    Matthew Yglesias » No One Expects The Spanish Inquisition

  • “No room there for little sharpers 'tricks and bunco games.”

    Chapter I

Show 10 more examples...

Log in or sign up to add your own related words.

synonyms (1)

Words with the same meaning

  1. cheat

same context (14)

Words that are found in similar contexts

  1. twelve-man
  2. 23-man
  1. current-day
  2. seed-eating
  1. excellentpsp
  2. archers'
  1. fat-bellied
  2. smoke/decon
  1. odd-numbered
  2. mop-up
  1. marcyb
  2. pouter
  1. eight-man
  2. firin'

reverse dictionary (1)

Words that contain this word in their definition

  1. bunko

Wordmap

(beta)

Word visualization

Lists

These user-created lists contain the word ‘bunco’.

Comments

Log in or sign up to get involved in the conversation. It's quick and easy.

  • bob.radway As of 2009 I think you should use
    "419" as in "Nigerian 419 scam"
    to the definition and comments
    on bunco.
    Bob R. Dec 27, 2009

Tweets

Looking for tweets for bunco.

‘bunco’ has been looked up 1857 times, loved by 1 person, added to 8 lists, commented on 1 time, and has a Scrabble score of 9.