Some Definitions

[Zeno]

From the OED:

Bogus, adjective. Spurious, sham, fictitious

Cad, noun. A vulgar ill-bred person; a person guilty or capable of ungentlemanly behavior; a blackguard.

Mountebank, noun. An itinerant quack, esp. a vendor of medicines, appealing to an audience from a raised platform and using stories, juggling etc., and often the assistance of a professional clown or fool.


-Zeno

[Michael Davis]

Zeno,

I've never felt like this about a man before.

-Michael

[Malarky]

I got a 800 on my SAT verbal while benchpressing 40 dictionaries with my 14 foot penis.

[Zeno]

[ QUOTE ]
I've never felt like this about a man before.


[/ QUOTE ]


And about a woman? /images/graemlins/smirk.gif


I think mountebank describes many a politician. And more than just a few politicos fit all three definitions rather well. I throw out Joe McCarthy as a recent example.

Good Old Joe (http://www.english.upenn.edu/~afilreis/50s/mccarthy-bio.html)


There are many other current, recent, not so recent, and certainly historical characters that also fit one, two, or all three of the definitions to varying degrees.


-Zeno

[MMMMMM]

Zeno,

Jef Peters as a Personal Magnet by O. Henry is fine mountebank reading.

Some other Jeff Peters stories include The Ethics of Pig, The Chair of Philanthromathematics, Modern Rural Sports, The Man Higher Up, Shearing the Wolf, The Exact Science of Matrimony, Conscience in Art. If you like one, you'll probably like them all.

For true life mountebank tales, you might try The Con Game and 'Yellow Kid' Weil.

[Zeno]

M,

Thanks for all the suggestions. My O.Henry volume has 62 tales but only a few of the stories you mention.

-Zeno