[f. SWINDLE v.2]
1. An act of swindling; a fraudulent transaction or scheme; a cheat, fraud, imposition.
1852. C. W. Day, Five Yrs.’ Resid. W. Indies, II. 185. The West India Islands are full of the swindles of European tradesmen. Wine and spirits are shockingly adulterated, [etc.].
1881. Jrnl. Inst. Bankers, Nov., 573. The trustees under liquidation never have their bills taxed; they charge what they like and do what they like; it is a perfect swindle with them.
b. spec. (slang or local): see quots.
1870. Law Reports, Davey v. Walmsley (Farmer). Lotteries are announced and commonly known as swindles.
1872. Schele De Vere, Americanisms, 576. When he [sc. a Western man] wishes to know what he has to pay, he asks, What’s the damage? or, not so charitably, What’s the swindle?
1899. Barrère & Leland, Slang Dict., s.v., When a proposition is made to toss for a drink by spinning a coin, the phrase is generally ‘let’s have a swindle.’
2. Something that is not what it appears or is pretended to be; a ‘fraud.’ colloq.
1866. Howells, Venet. Life, i. 4. Let us take, for example, that pathetic swindle, the Bridge of Sighs.
1882. T. G. Bowles, Flotsam & Jetsam, 395. As a sea the Mediterranean is a mere swindle. It is, indeed, not a sea at all, but a miserable puddle.
