coney-catcher
/ˈkəʊniˌkatʃə/noun
1A swindler, a cheat, a trickster; a perpetrator of confidence tricks; a deceiver. Also figurative. Now archaic or historical.
- Popularized by Robert Greene and remaining common for 60 or more years..
2A person (occasionally also a trap or a dog) that catches rabbits. Compare rabbit catcher. Now regional or historical.
Origin
Late 16th century; earliest use found in Robert Greene (bap. 1558, d. 1592), writer and playwright. From coney + catcher.