hustler

hus·tle  (hsl)

v. hus·tled, hus·tling, hus·tles

v.tr.

1. To jostle or shove roughly.

2. To convey in a hurried or rough manner: hustled the prisoner into a van.

3. To cause or urge to proceed quickly: hustled the board into a quick decision.

4. To gain by energetic effort: hustled a hot lunch.

5. Slang

a. To sell or get by questionable or aggressive means: hustled stolen watches; hustling spare change.

b. To pressure into buying or doing something: a barfly hustling the other customers for drinks.

c. To misrepresent one's skill in (a game or activity) in order to deceive someone, especially in gambling: hustle pool.

v.intr.

1. To jostle and push.

2. To work or move energetically and rapidly: We hustled to get dinner ready on time.

3. To act aggressively, especially in business dealings.

4. Slang

a. To obtain something by deceitful or illicit means; practice theft or swindling.

b. To solicit customers. Used of a pimp or prostitute.

c. To misrepresent one's ability in order to deceive someone, especially in gambling.

n.

1. The act or an instance of jostling or shoving.

2. Energetic activity; drive.

3. Slang An illicit or unethical way of doing business or obtaining money; a fraud or deceit: "the most dangerous and wide-open drug hustle of them all" Newsweek.

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[Dutch husselen, to shake, from Middle Dutch hustelen, frequentative of hutsen.]

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hustler n.

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hustler

Noun

US informal a person who tries to make money or gain an advantage from every situation, often by immoral or dishonest means

Thesaurus

Noun	1.	hustler - a prostitute who attracts customers by walking the streets floozie, floozy, slattern, street girl, streetwalker, hooker bawd, cocotte, cyprian, fancy woman, harlot, lady of pleasure, prostitute, sporting lady, tart, whore, woman of the street, working girl - a woman who engages in sexual intercourse for money
	2.	hustler - a shrewd or unscrupulous person who knows how to circumvent difficulties wheeler dealer, operator colloquialism - a colloquial expression; characteristic of spoken or written communication that seeks to imitate informal speech opportunist, self-seeker - a person who places expediency above principle wire-puller - one who uses secret influence (i.e. pulls wires or strings) for his own ends