"sharper" and "shark" (nouns)

[Joel S. Berson]

 From OED2:

"sharper" (n 1) "A cheat, swindler, rogue; one who lives by his wits
and by taking advantage of the simplicity of others; esp. a
fraudulent gamester. Cf. shark n.2" goes back to 1681.

Earlier is "shark (n 2) "A worthless and impecunious person who gains
a precarious living by sponging on others, by executing disreputable
commissions, cheating at play, and petty swindling; a parasite; a
sharper. In later use influenced by shark n.1 2.",  1599 B. Jonson.

The earliest "card sharper" is 1850; the earliest "card sharp" is 1876.

OED2 does not have "card shark"!

Joel

At 10/3/2007 11:33 AM, Wilson Gray wrote:
>So, which is earlier, e.g. "card sharper" or "card sharp"? And where
>does "card shark fit in?

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