bunko

[buhng-koh] /ˈbʌŋ koʊ/
noun, plural bunkos.
1.
a swindle in which a person is cheated at gambling, persuaded to buy a nonexistent, unsalable, or worthless object, or otherwise victimized.
2.
any misrepresentation.
verb (used with object), bunkoed, bunkoing.
3.
to victimize by a bunko.
Also, bunco.
Origin
1880-85; shortened form of bunkum; cf. -o
British Dictionary definitions for bunko

bunco

/ˈbʊŋkəʊ/
noun (pl) -cos, -kos
1.
a swindle, esp one by confidence tricksters
verb -cos, -coing, -coed, -kos, -koing, -koed
2.
(transitive) to swindle; cheat
Word Origin
C19: perhaps from Spanish banca bank (in gambling), from Italian bancabank1

bunko

/ˈbʌŋkəʊ/
noun, verb
1.
a variant spelling of bunco
Slang definitions & phrases for bunko

bunco

modifier

: a bunco scheme/ the police bunco squad (1872+)

noun

(also bunco game)A swindle; con game, scam (1872+)

verb

To swindle; defraud; flimflam: He was buncoed out of his seat in the House (1875+)

[said to be fr Banco, the name given in the 1850s by a crooked US gambler to the older game ''Eight-Dice Cloth''; Banco was probably based on Spanish banca, a card game similar to monte]


bunko

Related Terms

bunco