hoodwinks
Pulls the wool
Hoodwinks means deceives or tricks, especially by misleading someone about true intentions or facts.
The word suggests a con rather than an innocent misunderstanding—someone actively pulling wool over another's eyes: The salesman hoodwinked elderly customers into buying worthless insurance.
The noun hoodwink is rare; the verb dominates.
Deceives or victims
- foolsIdiots or deceives
- bamboozlesDeceives or tricks
- consDownsides or inmates
- tricksDeceptive acts or techniques
swindles · cheats · beguiles · deludes · gulls · bluffs · misleads · defrauds
Deception through clever manipulation
- subterfugeDeliberate deception to conceal
- ruseDeliberate act of deception
- ployCalculated deceptive tactic
- deceptionIntentional misleading of others
artifice · sleight · stratagem · wile · guile · machination · skulduggery · shenanigans
Sly, scheming cleverness
- craftyCleverly deceptive
- wilySkilled at deception
- slyCleverly deceptive
- deviousUnderhanded and calculating
scheming · artful · shrewd · calculating · sneaky · underhanded · conniving · manipulative
Faker claiming false expertise
- con artistProfessional fraud perpetrator
- swindlerPerson who deceives for money
- grifterPetty fraud perpetrator
- fraudsterCriminal deceiver for gain
hustler · mountebank · impostor · scammer · flimflammer · confidence man · snake oil salesman · shyster
dupes
Deceives or victims
- foolsIdiots or deceives
- bamboozlesDeceives or tricks
- consDownsides or inmates
tricks · swindles · cheats · beguiles · deludes · gulls · bluffs · misleads · defrauds · outwits
chicanery
Deception through clever manipulation
- subterfugeDeliberate deception to conceal
- ruseDeliberate act of deception
- ployCalculated deceptive tactic
deception · artifice · sleight · stratagem · wile · guile · machination · skulduggery · shenanigans · flimflam
cunning
Sly, scheming cleverness
devious · scheming · artful · shrewd · calculating · sneaky · underhanded · conniving · manipulative · duplicitous
charlatan
Faker claiming false expertise
- con artistProfessional fraud perpetrator
- swindlerPerson who deceives for money
- grifterPetty fraud perpetrator
fraudster · hustler · mountebank · impostor · scammer · flimflammer · confidence man · snake oil salesman · shyster · cheat
hoodwinksenlightens
Imparts knowledge or insight
disabuses · informs · levels with · sets straight · discloses