confidence game

a confidence game

A method of inspiring someone's trust and then deceiving them. Don't fall for Tony's sad story—he's known for playing confidence games.
See also: confidence, game
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.

confidence game

Also, confidence trick; con game. A swindle in which the victim is defrauded after his or her trust has been won. For example, The police warned of a confidence game in which people were asked to turn over valuables for a so-called appraisal , or The typical confidence trick is easy to spot if you know what to look for, or I almost let myself be taken in by her con game-she seemed so sincere. These terms, which use confidence in the sense of "trust," date from the mid-1800s. They also gave rise to confidence man (or con man) for the swindler.
See also: confidence, game
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
See also:
  • a confidence game
  • confidence
  • gouge (something) out of (someone or something)
  • gouge out of
  • get someone's dander up, to
  • cover
  • grab (someone or something) by the throat
  • grab someone by the throat
  • grab someone/something by the throat
  • help (someone) along
References in periodicals archive
political calculation made in the confidence game played in
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Essentially he makes Margaret Fox a victim in her relationship with Kane, although it is quite possible that she was playing a confidence game. He treats the serious problems on the Second Grinnell Expedition as if they were unusual and mainly Kane's fault.
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image and effectively become mistress of her own grand confidence game.
Narrative "confidence games": framing the blonde spectacle in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1925) and Nights at the Circus (1984)
He said: "Rugby is a massive confidence game but if you are feeling confident in yourself then you cant wait for the next game and because of the fact that there is so much quality around me I have to be pretty confident that I can do well
Rugby Union: Craig: We are really buzzing; TODAY'S BIG GAME: Scotland v Ireland, Murrayfield, today, kick off 3pm
AN ANCIENT CONFIDENCE GAME played by officials of the Bureau of Land Management and real estate developers involves agreements to trade public lands for private ones.
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Cricket is very much a confidence game and that part of things is getting better.
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