Words & TermsCrime, prison and the underworld
illywhacker
A confidence trickster, swindler or travelling trickster.
In a sentence
In this historical or contextual use, “illywhacker” means a confidence trickster, swindler or travelling trickster.
Where it came from
The Australian National Dictionary Centre records illywhacker as a characteristically Australian word with a distinctive historical sense.
- Initial era
- 1950–1999
- Where used
- Australian use; no narrower regional pattern established