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gyp

/d͡ʒɪp/ noun

noun Definition from WordNet 3.1, Princeton University. Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about gyp at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

  1. (sometimes offensive) an act of swindling or cheating.

verb

  1. (sometimes offensive) to cheat or swindle.
    the cashier gypped me when he gave me too little change

Origin

Perhaps from the term gypsy (“Roma”), due to a stereotype of the Roma as swindlers. Compare jew (“defraud”), from Jew, and welsh (“swindle by defaulting on a debt”), from Welsh. Could also be derived from dupe, with the same pattern (yod coalescence) as idiot becomes eejit in Scottish English.

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)