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spiv
[ spiv ]
noun
, British Informal.
- a petty criminal, especially a black marketeer, racetrack tout, or petty thief.
spiv
/ spɪv /
noun
- slang.a person who makes a living by underhand dealings or swindling; black marketeer
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Derived Forms
- ˈspivvy, adjective
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Word History and Origins
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Word History and Origins
Origin of spiv1
C20: back formation from dialect spiving smart; compare spiffy , spiffing
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Example Sentences
Often cast as cockney spivs at the start of his career, he moved on to authority figures like the doctor who treats Connery's James Bond in 1983's Never Say Never Again.
From BBC
She sounds like she’s auditioning for a cartoon about wartime spivs.
From The Guardian
The spivs and grotesques now running the country might have stepped whole from his pages, whipping up nationalism while discreetly betting against the pound and arranging second passports.
From The Guardian
Why is this country ready to go back to an abusive relationship with these private school spivs?
From The Guardian
He conforms to the stereotype of every person who sees it as a spivs’ marketplace.
From The Guardian
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