Dictionary

bull con en · NOUN

Etymology

Compound of bull (“lies; insincere talk”) + con (“a confidence trick; fraud”). Attested from the late 19th century.

Meanings

1. (obsolete, slang) A confidence trick, or deceptive speech by a swindler.
   • Every man who makes his living by peddling "bull con" can be put down as an enemy of liberty. The "bull con" artists are pretty plentiful yet. 1913 July 1, J.F., “Another great book”, in The Syndicalist, page 2:
   • Dem guys has got t’ show me somet’in’ before I’ll stan’ fer dem tales dey tell. I t’ink it’s all de bull con. 1896, Frank Hutcheson, “The barkeep discusses hypnotism”, in The Barkeep Stories, Chicago: E.A. Weeks & Company, page 48:
   • Like most fellows who stay in the West long, Allen was a great bull-con man (hot air man). […] I hadn't been in the West long, and the poorest kind of bull-con dealer found in me an easy mark. 1907, John Peele, From North Carolina to Southern California without a Ticket and How I did it, page 109:

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