grift
The origin and history of grift.
Etymology
Emerged around 1906 in American criminal slang as a twist on graft ("illicit profit"), itself traced back to a Middle Dutch word for digging a ditch — the idea being that a grifter "digs" money out of people.
Class of 1906
grift first entered the language around 1906. Other words from the same year:
See the full Class of 1906 →