shlenter

English

Alternative forms

• schlenter, slenter

Etymology

Afrikaans slenter (“ploy, scam, stroll, saunter”)

Noun

shlenter (plural shlenters)

1. A fake, especially a fake diamond.
2. A scam, ploy, fraud, trick.
   • 2010, Peter Taylor, “Trip to Appelboskraal via Stadsaal”, in South African Trips:

     I did a shlenter. I went up to the girl while she was opening the gate and asked her to leave it open.

3. A scammer.

Verb

shlenter (third-person singular simple present shlenters, present participle shlentering, simple past and past participle shlentered)

1. (rare, transitive) To acquire in an underhanded way.
2. (rare, transitive) To scam, fool, deceive, trick.
   • 2016, Bridget Hilton-Barber, Student Comrade Prisoner Spy: A memoir:

     In the time I spend at Rhodes I will encounter many brilliant minds and come to understand principles, strategies and tactics, caucusing, shlentering, back-stabbing, manipulation, campaigning, alliances – and I will also witness the depths of human determination and depravity, and the utter Shakespearean nature of it all.

Adjective

shlenter (not comparable)

1. Fake, not genuine, counterfeit.
   • 1881 February 28, “Dunedin Races. Third Day.”, in North Otago Times, NZ, volume XXVIII, number 2713, page 2:

     There was a good deal of talk on the about about certain racing men last evening publicly taking "shlenter" wages …

   • 1899, Anna Dunphy Bremont, The Gentleman Digger:

     "Of course," whispers the seller, who had pushed his way to the side of the buyer, "this sale was only shlenter."

Anagrams

• Lehnerts