different between grift vs gruft

English

Etymology

American criminal underworld slang, 1906 (noun), 1915 (verb), thinning alteration of graft. The lighter sound (?a? ? ?i?, /??/ or /æ/ ? /?/) is associated with more subtle, sophisticated crime; compare swindle.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /???ft/
• Rhymes: -?ft

Noun

grift (plural grifts)

1. (US, slang) A confidence game or swindle. [from 1906]

   Synonyms: see Thesaurus:deception

Derived terms

• grifter

Translations

Verb

grift (third-person singular simple present grifts, present participle grifting, simple past and past participle grifted)

1. (transitive, US, slang) To obtain illegally, as by con game. [from early 20th c.]
2. (intransitive, US, slang) To obtain money illegally. [from early 20th c.]
3. (intransitive, US, slang) To obtain money immorally or through deceitful means.

References

English

Noun

gruft (uncountable)

1. (dialect) The particles of soil that are spattered up onto grass by the rain.

   a gruft that adheres to the grass in wet weather