card shark
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Puzzle #139 · October 18, 2025
A card shark can mean someone who is very skilled in card games, or someone who cheats at card games. A related term, ‘card sharp’, (in usage since 1840), pre-dates ‘card shark’ (in usage since 1870). A ‘card sharp’ is more often used to describe someone who is skilled at cards. A shark is generally associated with predatory behavior, hence ‘card shark’ skews in meaning towards cheating. The term ‘sharp’ in gambling and investing is used to describe someone who is skilled, sophisticated and usually comes out on the winning side.
Puzzle Appearances
The expression card shark has appeared in 1 puzzle:
- Puzzle #139 on October 18, 2025
Rate of Appearance in English Language Print
Google's Ngram project shows how often a pair of words has appeared in print every year since the 1800's.
Data from Google Books Ngram Viewer. Licensed under CC BY 3.0.
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