mountebank
Definitions
A person who deceives others, especially by making false claims; a charlatan or swindler
江湖骗子；招摇撞骗者；卖假药的郎中
To deceive or swindle by making false claims
行骗，招摇撞骗
Root Breakdown
Root-derivedFrom Italian montambanco, 'one who mounts the bench' (montare 'to mount' + banco 'bench'). It pictures the quack who climbed onto a bench in the market square to shout about his miracle cures and dupe the crowd. 'Standing up high to sell' hardened into 'swindler.'
Root mount still carries 9 more wordsWhy It Means This
Mountebank literally means 'mount the bench.' In Renaissance Italy, traveling quacks would climb onto a bench in a crowded square, draw a crowd with patter and tricks, then sell worthless potions. The image of someone clambering up to a high spot to peddle fakery gave English its word for any showy fraud.
Common Collocations
- 1.a mere mountebank十足的骗子
- 2.political mountebank政治骗子
Example Sentences
- 1.
The so-called healer turned out to be a mountebank selling fake remedies.
- 2.
Critics dismissed the politician as a mountebank chasing headlines.