On Tue, Jan 31, 2012 at 5:40 AM, Ben Zimmer <bgzimmer at babel.ling.upenn.edu>wrote: > "Bankster" is a blend of "bank" and "gangster" > Plus gangster can have an epenthetic k, making a perfect rhyme with bankster, reinforcing the association. ------------------------------------------------------------ The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org