conning
Tricking for gain
Conning is the present participle of con in its sense of swindling or deceiving: He's been conning old ladies out of their savings.
Separately, conning relates to directing a ship's steering—the conning tower on a submarine is where navigation commands originate.
The two words have different origins.
Causing false belief
- trickeryDeliberate deception or fraud
- swindleDeception for financial gain
- hoaxDeliberate deception for effect
- bamboozleDeceive through cunning
hoodwink · dupery · beguile · chicanery · subterfuge · flimflam · charlatan · imposture
Vessel's steering mechanism
- bridgeStructure spanning an obstacle
- steeringControlling direction of movement
- pilotingControlling a vehicle's course
- navigationDetermining position and course
wheelhouse · captain · helmsman · rudder · course · bearing · heading · command
Sly, scheming cleverness
artful · slick · shrewd · guile · devious · calculating · scheming · underhanded
Deceptive mock attack
- decoyFalse target for misdirection
- pretenseDeceptive outward show
- ployCalculated deceptive tactic
- stratagemDeceptive plan for advantage
gambit · bluff · diversion · smokescreen · red herring · false trail · misdirection · distraction
Using selfishly for benefit
- maneuveringSkillful directional control
- influencingAltering someone's thinking
- coercingForcing through intimidation
- pressuringExerting influence to compel
leveraging · handling · steering · playing · working · finessing · calculating · scheming
deceiving
Causing false belief
- trickeryDeliberate deception or fraud
- swindleDeception for financial gain
- hoaxDeliberate deception for effect
bamboozle · hoodwink · dupery · beguile · chicanery · subterfuge · flimflam · charlatan · imposture · sham
helm
Vessel's steering mechanism
- bridgeStructure spanning an obstacle
- steeringControlling direction of movement
- pilotingControlling a vehicle's course
navigation · wheelhouse · captain · helmsman · rudder · course · bearing · heading · command · watch
cunning
Sly, scheming cleverness
sneaky · artful · slick · shrewd · guile · devious · calculating · scheming · underhanded · duplicitous
feint
Deceptive mock attack
stratagem · gambit · bluff · diversion · smokescreen · red herring · false trail · misdirection · distraction · cover story
exploiting
Using selfishly for benefit
- maneuveringSkillful directional control
- influencingAltering someone's thinking
- coercingForcing through intimidation
pressuring · leveraging · handling · steering · playing · working · finessing · calculating · scheming · angling
- deceptionlie, lies, lying, fake, fraud
- wrongdoingmisconduct, crime, sabotage, crimes, misbehavior
- cunningcunning, craftiness, crafty, guile, slyness
- dirty trickscheating, lying, deceit, trickery, deception
- dishonestydishonesty, deceit, duplicity, lying, mendacity
- manipulationgaslighting, guilt tripping, blame-shifting, brainwashing, guilt trip
conningbeing honest
Stating facts sincerely
telling the truth · enlightening · informing · leveling with · educating
conninghelping
Single portion given
assisting · benefiting · serving · giving · supporting
- conning towerSubmarine's raised control structure