subs. (common).—A cheat, swindler: generally applied to a turf or gaming blackleg.
1851. H. MAYHEW, London Labour and the London Poor, IV., 24. Those who cheat the Public … ‘Bouncers and BESTERS,’ defrauding, by laying wagers, swaggering, or using threats.
1885. Evening News, 21 September, 4, 1. The complainant called her father a liar, ‘a BESTER and a crawler.’
