spiv

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spiv

/spɪv/

Rhymes with -ɪv

Where it comes from

Unknown. Perhaps from spiff, spiffy. Spiv was the nickname of Henry Bagster, a Londoner arrested a number of times in 1904-6 for activities as described below, and may have been the archetype. Also possibly from Romani spiv (“sparrow”), as active and opportunistic.

noun spivs

Ireland, UK, historical A smartly dressed person who trades in illicit, black-market or stolen goods, especially during World War II.
Ireland, UK, dated A flashy con artist, often homeless, who lives by his wits. I mean, Mayfair is just top spivs stepping into the slippers of the former gentry, and Belgravia, like I've said, is all flats in houses built as palaces, and Chelsea—well!
Similar: sharper, chiseler, wide boy, bunco-steerer, charlatan, cheat, jackal, cheater, cozener, defrauder, finagler, fleecer
Ireland, UK, dated A low and common thief.
Ireland, UK, dated A slacker; one who shirks responsibility.

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MLA

"spiv." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/spiv. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

spiv. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/spiv

Chicago

"spiv." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/spiv.

BibTeX

@misc{spiv_2026,
  title = {spiv},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/spiv},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}