poolshark means A hustler who disrupts a game for his own advantage, such as by feigning incompetence to attract bets, or by harassing opponents. Lexicurio rates it Sui generis — a strength score of 88 out of 100.
Why this word is great
POOLSHARK — [Noun] A person who hustles at pool, especially by feigning lesser skill to lure opponents into unfair bets. From 'pool' (the cue sport) + 'shark', a variant of 'sharp' (meaning a shrewd swindler), influenced by the earlier pattern of 'cardsharp/cardshark'; the compound is evidenced from at least 1915. Unlike a 'hustler', a general practitioner of deceit, or a 'professional', a skilled player competing openly, a poolshark is a specialist in predatory theater, a performer of calibrated incompetence. He is the artful miss on an easy bank shot, the clumsy stance that belies a surgeon's knowledge of English, and the sudden, unnerving click of a champion's cue being assembled from a cheap case—a figure who proves the most reliable profits lie not in excellence, but in the careful management of another man's vanity.
noun
- A hustler who disrupts a game for his own advantage, such as by feigning incompetence to attract bets, or by harassing opponents.