huckster

Meaning

Noun

1. A peddler or hawker, who sells small items, either door-to-door, from a stall, or in the street.
2. Somebody who sells things in an aggressive or showy manner.
3. One who deceptively sells fraudulent products; snake oil salesman
4. Somebody who writes advertisements for radio or television.

Verb

1. (intransitive) To haggle, to wrangle, or to bargain.
2. (transitive) To sell or offer (goods) from place to place, to peddle.
3. (transitive) To promote or sell (goods) in an aggressive, showy manner.

Synonyms

pedlar

hawker

peddler

chaffer

hawk

vend

bargain

cadger

cheap-jack

haggle

higgle

monger

peddle

pitch

dicker

chandler

advertisement copy writer

pitchman

profiteer

retailer

shopkeeper

speculate

spiv

tout

touter

beat down

merchant

cheapjack

bargain down

Translations

Krämer

marchander

γυρολόγος

vendre

rivendugliolo

colporteur

Hausierer

ساوم

ساعد

تأرجح

تنخم

زفت

غوص

نصب خيمة

باع

Pronounced as (IPA)

/ˈhʌkstɚ/

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English: hukster

In summary

From Middle English hukster, probably of Low German or Dutch origin, from Middle Low German höken (“to peddle”) or Middle Dutch hokester, itself from hoeken (“to peddle, bend, bear on the back”), all from Proto-Germanic *huk-, probably related to *hūkan- (“to squat”), from *hūkkan-, back-formed from the iterative *huk(k)ōn-, from Proto-Indo-European *kuk-néh₂, from *kewk- (“to curve, bend”) (also the source of English high). Compare hawkster.