"schvindler"

[Mark Mandel]

On Sun, Mar 29, 2009 at 7:01 PM, Alison Murie <sagehen7470 at att.net> wrote:
>
> New Oxford American Dictionary has the following:
> swindler |=CB=88sw=C9=AAndl=C9=99r| noun
> ORIGIN late 18th cent.: back-formation from swindler, from German =20
> Schwindler =E2=80=98extravagant
> makerof schemes, swindler,=E2=80=99 from schwindeln =E2=80=98be =
> giddy,=E2=80=99 also =20
> [tell lies.]
> AM=

Wait a minute. ... That works out to

> New Oxford American Dictionary has the following:
> swindler || noun
> ORIGIN late 18th cent.: back-formation from swindler, from German
> Schwindler extravagant
> makerof schemes, swindler, from schwindeln
> giddy,also
> [tell lies.]

How is "swindler" a back-formation from "swindler"? "Swindle", sure,
but this sounds... well, like an action often mentioned in the
imperative and sometimes described as "obscene and impossible".

m a m

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