A name given to many small birds of the order Passeres, esp. to those of the genus Fringilla or family Fringillidæ. †to pull a finch: to swindle an…

Phrases (with various nouns as object). to wipea person's nose: †(a) see nose, n. phrases 1a phrases 1a(b) (cf. sense 5 above); occasionally, to…

to take (a person) at advantage(s): to take (a person) by surprise; to take advantage of. Also to take upon advantages. Now rare.

to play fast and loose (also to play at fast and loose and variants): to be inconstant or inconsistent, esp. regarding one's obligations to others…

intransitive. With adverb or adjective as complement: to act, behave, conduct oneself in a specified… to play false: to cheat in a game or contest…

to bore a person's nose: to cheat or swindle a person. to joint a person's nose of (rare): to trick or cheat a person out of. Obsolete.

to make a cousin of: to deceive, mislead, or dupe (a person). Cf. sense A. 6. Obsolete.

In proverbial, figurative, or allusive uses. Denoting fraudulent dealing in the fulfilment of bargains or promises; esp. to sell smoke (after Latin…

transitive. To wipe (a person's nose). In quot. figurative: to cheat (someone).

figurative. A collection or set (of things or people). Now chiefly in a packet of lies. Also to sell (a person) a packet (colloquial): to tell him…

Originally U.S. to beat the count: †(a) to cheat or get ahead by cheating (obsolete. rare); (b) (in Boxing and similar sports) (of a fighter who has…

to sell (a person) a pup: to swindle a person, esp. by selling something of little worth on its supposed prospective value. Frequently in passive…

to hand (someone) a lemon: to pass off a sub-standard article as good; to swindle (a person), to do (someone) down.

a consignment of merchandise; so in colloquial phrase to sell (someone) a bill of goods: to persuade (someone) to accept something undesirable; to…