spiv

IPA: spˈɪv

(Britain, historical) A smartly dressed person who trades in illicit, black-market or stolen goods, especially during World War II.
(Britain, dated) A flashy con artist, often homeless, who lives by his wits.
(Britain, dated, Scotland Yard) A low and common thief.
(Britain, dated) A slacker; one who shirks responsibility.

Examples of "spiv" in Sentences

Finally, the word "spiv": no fashion lesson here, just enjoyment of the word's debut on this page.
This political 'spiv' gave no thought to the aftermath of his decisions internationally or nationally.
Update: Upon reflection I think Mr Weston might well be seen as a slightly camp version of what the English used to call a "spiv".
However, he was only following the precedent set by the spineless grinning 'spiv' Blair who constantly referred to and talked about:
- the stupidity of so many voters who believed in the vacuous 'spiv' Blair and the spin from Campbell and the twice disgraced Mandelson.
The roots lie in the British 80s and 90s -- two decades defined by the "chav" and "spiv" culture that was the fruit of the Murdoch 'n' Maggie as in Margaret Thatcher union.
HM Treasury famously preens itself as having a collection of the very finest minds Oxbridge can produce – a pity then their principal activity seems to be devising spiv-like ways of deceiving the punters.
The spiv, the showman; Mr Blair promised a brave new world - a shining castle on the hill - very Reaganish... a promise he most certainly could not uphold as there was no hill, the castle was made of papier mache and when the rains came it melted away......