Is it "card shark" or "card sharp"?

GeorgeF · #1 04-24-2004, 10:02 PM

According to: 100 Most Often Mispronounced Words and Phrases in English, it is "card sharp".

"Cardsharps probably won't eat you alive, though they are adept at cutting your purse strings."

http://www.yourdictionary.com/library/mispron.html

So are these guys full of it? Would you rather be a "card sharp" or "cardshark"?

daryn · #2 04-24-2004, 11:14 PM

i'm pretty sure it's cardsharp.

William · #3 04-24-2004, 11:19 PM

[ QUOTE ]
i'm pretty sure it's cardsharp.

[/ QUOTE ]

I'm pretty sure you're right.

Tyler Durden · #4 04-24-2004, 11:51 PM

[ QUOTE ]
i'm pretty sure it's cardsharp.

[/ QUOTE ]

It is. I hate to sound gay but this was discussed in a Friends episode between Ross and Russ (both played by the same guy).

daryn · #5 04-25-2004, 12:18 AM

i remember reading it in an old book on magic/card tricks.

(more manly response) [img]/images/graemlins/wink.gif[/img]

PuppetMaster · #6 04-25-2004, 01:25 AM

[ QUOTE ]
According to: 100 Most Often Mispronounced Words and Phrases in English, it is "card sharp".

"Cardsharps probably won't eat you alive, though they are adept at cutting your purse strings."

http://www.yourdictionary.com/library/mispron.html

So are these guys full of it? Would you rather be a "card sharp" or "cardshark"?

[/ QUOTE ]
shark makes more since though, cause the bad players are fish. hence shark eats fish..

MMMMMM · #7 04-25-2004, 01:57 AM

[ QUOTE ]
shark makes more since though, cause the bad players are fish. hence shark eats fish.

[/ QUOTE ]

Dictionary Addition:

DON'T SAY: "since"

DO SAY: "sense"

COMMENT: since you want to make sense, right?

Also, I believe "cardsharp" generally refers to a card cheat of some sort, whereas "card shark" merely means one who, as you put it, eats the fish. So an (honest) top player might be considered a shark but not a sharp.

PuppetMaster · #8 04-25-2004, 02:02 AM

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
shark makes more since though, cause the bad players are fish. hence shark eats fish.

[/ QUOTE ]

DON'T SAY since DO SAY sense COMMENT since you want to make sense, right?

[/ QUOTE ]
What? [img]/images/graemlins/confused.gif[/img]

MMMMMM · #9 04-25-2004, 02:07 AM

See my reformatted post

Phat Mack · #10 04-25-2004, 02:36 AM

But I think sharp is correct usage, also. I think of a sharp as a mechanic, and a shark as a predator--honest or not.

Abdul had an interesting post on this on RGP long ago. The "fish" shark was named after the "person" shark. I believe he said it came from the German word for scoundrel. (The only dictionary I have access to now is the American Heritage Online, and it lists the etymology of shark as unknown.)