mountebanks
Sellers of falsehoods
Mountebanks is the plural of mountebank, a person who deceives others, especially to sell them something worthless.
The word originally meant a charlatan who hawked quack medicines from a platform in public squares, attracting crowds with tricks and showmanship.
Now it applies more broadly to any fraud or huckster: The financial mountebanks promised returns they knew were impossible.
Pretenders to special knowledge
- quacksPhony doctors or duck calls
- impostorsThose falsely claiming identity
- swindlersDeceivers who steal through trickery
- con artistsPeople who cheat others
hucksters · tricksters · deceivers · flimflam · snake oil · patent medicine · confidence men · grifters
Mobile commercial representatives
- peddlersMobile small-scale merchants
- marketplaceVenue for commerce
- fairsPublic exhibitions and carnivals
- wagonsPulled four-wheeled vehicles
platforms · pitchmen · elixirs · tonics · itinerant · medicine shows · barkers · sideshows
Skill at impressive presentation
- theatricsExaggerated dramatic behavior
- spectacleVisually striking event
- entertainmentAgreeable diversion of attention
- persuasionConvincing through reasoning
patter · oratory · flourishes · gestures · costumes · assistants · tricks · sleight of hand
charlatans
Pretenders to special knowledge
- quacksPhony doctors or duck calls
- impostorsThose falsely claiming identity
- swindlersDeceivers who steal through trickery
con artists · hucksters · tricksters · deceivers · flimflam · snake oil · patent medicine · confidence men · grifters · scammers
traveling salesmen
Mobile commercial representatives
- peddlersMobile small-scale merchants
- marketplaceVenue for commerce
- fairsPublic exhibitions and carnivals
wagons · platforms · pitchmen · elixirs · tonics · itinerant · medicine shows · barkers · sideshows · Renaissance
showmanship
Skill at impressive presentation
- theatricsExaggerated dramatic behavior
- spectacleVisually striking event
- entertainmentAgreeable diversion of attention
persuasion · patter · oratory · flourishes · gestures · costumes · assistants · tricks · sleight of hand · audience
- roguesrogue, rogues, scoundrel, scoundrels, rascal