"schvindler"

[Arnold Zwicky]

On Mar 29, 2009, at 6:11 PM, Mark Mandel wrote:

>
> 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".

this is an excerpt from the entry for "swindle" v.  "swindler" n. is
listed as a derivative at the end of the definitions, followed by the
etymology (where we learn that the historical direction of derivation
goes the other way).

arnold

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