grafters
Those who cheat
Grafters are people who work hard, especially at physical or tedious labor—a usage more common in British English: Those grafters have been at it since dawn.
In American English, grafters typically means people who obtain money or advantage through dishonest means, particularly political corruption or swindling: The reformers promised to clean out the grafters at city hall.
In horticulture, grafters are those who join plant tissues to propagate varieties.
Developing from an outgrowth
- scionHeir of prominence
- rootstockBase for grafted plants
- propagationAct of spreading widely
- spliceJoin end to end
cultivar · nurseryman · orchard · sapling · cutting · stock · union · cambium
Corrupt payment for influence
- kickbacksIllegal return payments
- embezzlementFraudulent taking of entrusted assets
- payolaBribes for airplay
- sleazeTawdry moral quality
malfeasance · cronyism · nepotism · under-the-table · skimming · fiddling · pilferage · venality
People who work strenuously
- laborersWorkers doing physical tasks
- industriousDevoted to steady effort
- diligentPersistently attentive to tasks
- tirelessNever losing energy
sloggers · plodders · workhorse · assiduous · sedulous · unflagging · perseverance · earnest
budding
Developing from an outgrowth
- scionHeir of prominence
- rootstockBase for grafted plants
- propagationAct of spreading widely
splice · cultivar · nurseryman · orchard · sapling · cutting · stock · union · cambium
bribery
Corrupt payment for influence
- kickbacksIllegal return payments
- embezzlementFraudulent taking of entrusted assets
- payolaBribes for airplay
sleaze · malfeasance · cronyism · nepotism · under-the-table · skimming · fiddling · pilferage · venality · misconduct
toilers
People who work strenuously
- laborersWorkers doing physical tasks
- industriousDevoted to steady effort
- diligentPersistently attentive to tasks
tireless · sloggers · plodders · workhorse · assiduous · sedulous · unflagging · perseverance · earnest · conscientious
con artist
Professional fraud perpetrator
- swindlerPerson who deceives for money
- fraudsterCriminal deceiver for gain
- charlatanFaker claiming false expertise
grifter · hustler · cheat · impostor · trickster · deceiver · shyster · mountebank · shark · schemer
- Crookscrook, swindler, fraudster, embezzler, con artist
- infernohellfire, hellscape, brimstone, sulfur, limbo
- underdogsunderdog, underdogs, Cinderella, sleeper, dark horse
graftersstraight shooters
Forthright, honest individuals
honest brokers · do-gooders · incorruptibles · straight arrows · philanthropists