Mark, patsy, sucker, gull

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AldenG
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Joined: Wed Apr 29, 2009 3:11 am

Mark, patsy, sucker, gull

Post by AldenG » Mon Jan 16, 2017 2:35 am

I'm not finding idiomatic translations I like for a few similar concepts.

One is the mark in a scam/con, i.e. the target or intended victim.

Another is a generally gullible person who is susceptible to such plays.

There's a long worn-out saying in poker that if you don't recognize the mark (sometimes patsy) at your table within X minutes, you're the mark.

I'm looking for the kinds of words that people around these kinds of things would use.

Of course each of these English words has a specific meaning (though they're often blurred), but I don't need to translate each of them separately. I'm just looking for words that occur in similar contexts besides uhri and kohde and the suggested but seemingly off-the-mark syntipukki (scapegoat), which in English vaguely resembles only patsy from the list in the title. One online source suggested nynny and I can't tell whether that's merely a mistake or is a separate jargonistic sense I haven't encountered before.


As he persisted, I was obliged to tootle him gently at first and then, seeing no improvement, to trumpet him vigorously with my horn.

Mark, patsy, sucker, gull

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Jukka Aho
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Joined: Fri Apr 06, 2007 1:46 am
Location: Espoo, Finland

Re: Mark, patsy, sucker, gull

Post by Jukka Aho » Mon Jan 16, 2017 4:20 am

AldenG wrote:I'm not finding idiomatic translations I like for a few similar concepts.
One is the mark in a scam/con, i.e. the target or intended victim.
Poka is the slang term sometimes used in this context.

It could be described as a target (sometimes just a random customer) out of whom you expect to extract some quick profit. Whether you approached them or they willingly approached you does not matter. The overtones could range from neutral to cynical. Used by telemarketers, salesmen, taxi drivers, prostitutes, etc. — conmen, too. (I am not sure about the poker players or the gambling/casino context, though.)

Not to be confused with the sometimes heard dialectal pronunciation of poika, which sounds the same.
znark

AldenG
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Re: Mark, patsy, sucker, gull

Post by AldenG » Mon Jan 16, 2017 8:56 pm

Thanks, that's perfect.
As he persisted, I was obliged to tootle him gently at first and then, seeing no improvement, to trumpet him vigorously with my horn.

Upphew
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Location: Lappeenranta

Re: Mark, patsy, sucker, gull

Post by Upphew » Tue Jan 17, 2017 1:29 pm

In poker there is Anglicism fisu, from fish.
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AldenG
Posts: 3353
Joined: Wed Apr 29, 2009 3:11 am

Re: Mark, patsy, sucker, gull

Post by AldenG » Wed Jan 18, 2017 7:04 am

That looks useful, too -- thanks.
As he persisted, I was obliged to tootle him gently at first and then, seeing no improvement, to trumpet him vigorously with my horn.


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