tinhorns
Flashy small-timers
Tinhorns are pretentious people who try to appear important or wealthy but lack substance—cheap imitations of the real thing.
The term originally described small-time gamblers who put on airs: a tinhorn gambler running a crooked dice game.
Now it applies to any blowhard or phony: Don't listen to those tinhorns.
The singular tinhorn works as noun or adjective: a tinhorn dictator.
Faker claiming false expertise
- impostorOne feigning another's identity
- blufferOne who deceives boldly
- fraudIntentional criminal trickery
- fakerOne who pretends
sham · phony · showoff · braggart · blowhard · windbag · poseur · pretender
Marked cubes for chance
- pokerHearth implement for coals
- crapsCasino dice wagering
- bettingStaking money on outcomes
- wagerStake on uncertainty
casino · bookie · odds · stakes · chip · ante · bluffer · card-sharp
Ranch hands tending herds
- saloonDrinking establishment, often frontier
- frontierEdge of settlement
- gunslingersFast-drawing frontier fighters
- desperadoBold, reckless outlaw
outlaws · sheriff · boomtown · gold-rush · prospector · tenderfoot · dude · carpetbagger
charlatan
Faker claiming false expertise
- impostorOne feigning another's identity
- blufferOne who deceives boldly
- fraudIntentional criminal trickery
faker · sham · phony · showoff · braggart · blowhard · windbag · poseur · pretender · wannabe
dice
Marked cubes for chance
wager · casino · bookie · odds · stakes · chip · ante · bluffer · card-sharp · hustler
cowboys
Ranch hands tending herds
- saloonDrinking establishment, often frontier
- frontierEdge of settlement
- gunslingersFast-drawing frontier fighters
desperado · outlaws · sheriff · boomtown · gold-rush · prospector · tenderfoot · dude · carpetbagger · snake-oil
tinhornsgenuine articles
Authentic items, not counterfeits
authentic · straight shooters · bona fide · legitimate · true blue
tinhornshigh-rollers
Wealthy, lavish gamblers
big shots · big-timers · whales · heavy hitters · big spenders
tinhornsVIPs
Notable people, abbreviated
bigwigs · big wheels · somebodies · movers and shakers · magnates