William Thompson (confidence man)William Thompson was an American criminal and con artist whose deceptions probably caused the term confidence man to be coined. Operating in New York City in the late 1840s, a genteelly dressed Thompson would approach an upper-class mark, pretending they knew each other, and begin a brief conversation. After initially gaining the mark's trust, Thompson would ask whether he had the confidence to lend Thompson his watch.
Shell gameThe shell game (also known as thimblerig, three shells and a pea, the old army game) is a public gambling game that challenges players to follow the movement of a marker hidden under one of several covers (shells). In practice, the game is almost always run as a confidence trick that uses sleight of hand to transfer the marker between covers. In confidence trick slang, this swindle is referred to as a short-con because it is quick and easy to pull off.
ShillA shill, also called a plant or a stooge, is a person who publicly helps or gives credibility to a person or organization without disclosing that they have a close relationship with said person or organization, or have been paid to do so. Shills can carry out their operations in the areas of media, journalism, marketing, politics, sports, confidence games, cryptocurrency, or other business areas.ConfidenceConfidence is the feeling of belief or trust that a person or thing is reliable. Self-confidence is trust in oneself. Self-confidence involves a positive belief that one can generally accomplish what one wishes to do in the future. Self-confidence is not the same as self-esteem, which is an evaluation of one's worth. Self-confidence is related to self-efficacy—belief in one's ability to accomplish a specific task or goal.
CredulityCredulity is a person's willingness or ability to believe that a statement is true, especially on minimal or uncertain evidence. Credulity is not necessarily a belief in something that may be false: the subject of the belief may even be correct, but a credulous person will believe it without good evidence. MeaningThe words gullible and credulous are commonly used as synonyms.
Ancient GreeceGreek civilization from 1200 BC to 600 ADThe Parthenon, a temple of Athena on the Acropolis in Athens.Ancient Greece (Ancient Greek: Ἑλλάς, romanized: Hellás) was an ancient civilization existing from the Greek Dark Ages of the 12th–9th centuries BC to the end of classical antiquity (c. 600 AD), comprising a loose collection of culturally and linguistically related city-states and regions, primarily centered in the northeastern area of the .
CompassionCompassion is a social emotion that motivates people to go out of their way to relieve the physical, mental, or emotional pains of others and themselves. Compassion is sensitivity to the emotional aspects of the suffering of others. When based on notions such as fairness, justice, and interdependence, it may be considered partially rational in nature.
VanityVanity is the excessive belief in one's own abilities or attractiveness. Prior to the 14th century, it did not have such narcissistic undertones, and merely meant futility.NaivetyNaivety (also spelled naïvety), naiveness, or naïveté is the state of being naive. It refers to an apparent or actual lack of experience and sophistication, often describing a neglect of pragmatism in favor of moral idealism.
Moral responsibilityIn philosophy, moral responsibility is the status of morallydeservingpraise, blame, reward, or punishment for an act or omission in accordance with one's moral obligations. Deciding what (if anything) counts as "morally obligatory" is a principal concern of ethics. Philosophers refer to people who have moral responsibility for an action as "moral agents".
Traveling carnivalA traveling carnival (American English), usually simply called a carnival, travelling funfair or travelling show (British English), is an amusement show that may be made up of amusement rides, food vendors, merchandise vendors, games of chance and skill, thrill acts, and animal acts. A traveling carnival is not set up at a permanent location, like an amusement park, but is moved from place to place.
GreedGreed (or avarice, Latin: avaritia) is an insatiable desire for material gain (be it food, money, land, or animate/inanimate possessions) or social value, such as status or power sometimes at the expense of others in the community. Nature of greedThe initial motivation for (or purpose of) greed and actions associated with it may be the promotion of personal or family survival.
Trust (social science)Assumption of and reliance on the honesty of another partyTrust in others in Europe in 2015Country-level estimates of trust in 2018Share of people agreeing with the statement "most people can be trusted" in 2014Trust is the belief that another person will do what is expected and is built through repeated consistency.
grifterRelated word or term.
Shell gameThe shell game (also known as thimblerig, three shells and a pea, the old army game) is a public gambling game that challenges players to follow the movement of a marker hidden under one of several covers (shells). In practice, the game is almost always run as a confidence trick that uses sleight of hand to transfer the marker between covers. In confidence trick slang, this swindle is referred to as a short-con because it is quick and easy to pull off.ShillA shill, also called a plant or a stooge, is a person who publicly helps or gives credibility to a person or organization without disclosing that they have a close relationship with said person or organization, or have been paid to do so. Shills can carry out their operations in the areas of media, journalism, marketing, politics, sports, confidence games, cryptocurrency, or other business areas.ConfidenceConfidence is the feeling of belief or trust that a person or thing is reliable. Self-confidence is trust in oneself. Self-confidence involves a positive belief that one can generally accomplish what one wishes to do in the future. Self-confidence is not the same as self-esteem, which is an evaluation of one's worth. Self-confidence is related to self-efficacy—belief in one's ability to accomplish a specific task or goal.CredulityCredulity is a person's willingness or ability to believe that a statement is true, especially on minimal or uncertain evidence. Credulity is not necessarily a belief in something that may be false: the subject of the belief may even be correct, but a credulous person will believe it without good evidence. MeaningThe words gullible and credulous are commonly used as synonyms.Ancient GreeceGreek civilization from 1200 BC to 600 ADThe Parthenon, a temple of Athena on the Acropolis in Athens.Ancient Greece (Ancient Greek: Ἑλλάς, romanized: Hellás) was an ancient civilization existing from the Greek Dark Ages of the 12th–9th centuries BC to the end of classical antiquity (c. 600 AD), comprising a loose collection of culturally and linguistically related city-states and regions, primarily centered in the northeastern area of the .CompassionCompassion is a social emotion that motivates people to go out of their way to relieve the physical, mental, or emotional pains of others and themselves. Compassion is sensitivity to the emotional aspects of the suffering of others. When based on notions such as fairness, justice, and interdependence, it may be considered partially rational in nature.VanityVanity is the excessive belief in one's own abilities or attractiveness. Prior to the 14th century, it did not have such narcissistic undertones, and merely meant futility.NaivetyNaivety (also spelled naïvety), naiveness, or naïveté is the state of being naive. It refers to an apparent or actual lack of experience and sophistication, often describing a neglect of pragmatism in favor of moral idealism.Moral responsibilityIn philosophy, moral responsibility is the status of morallydeservingpraise, blame, reward, or punishment for an act or omission in accordance with one's moral obligations. Deciding what (if anything) counts as "morally obligatory" is a principal concern of ethics. Philosophers refer to people who have moral responsibility for an action as "moral agents".Traveling carnivalA traveling carnival (American English), usually simply called a carnival, travelling funfair or travelling show (British English), is an amusement show that may be made up of amusement rides, food vendors, merchandise vendors, games of chance and skill, thrill acts, and animal acts. A traveling carnival is not set up at a permanent location, like an amusement park, but is moved from place to place.GreedGreed (or avarice, Latin: avaritia) is an insatiable desire for material gain (be it food, money, land, or animate/inanimate possessions) or social value, such as status or power sometimes at the expense of others in the community. Nature of greedThe initial motivation for (or purpose of) greed and actions associated with it may be the promotion of personal or family survival.Trust (social science)Assumption of and reliance on the honesty of another partyTrust in others in Europe in 2015Country-level estimates of trust in 2018Share of people agreeing with the statement "most people can be trusted" in 2014Trust is the belief that another person will do what is expected and is built through repeated consistency.grifterRelated word or term.*As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.