What does crookery mean?
Crookery is a noun denoting dishonest or deceitful behaviour — the practice of trickery, swindling, or other underhand dealings. It derives from the older word 'crook', long used figuratively for a dishonest person, and so carries the sense of wrongdoing as a settled habit or craft rather than a one-off offence. The word is informal in register and somewhat more at home in British English than American, though it is widely understood. Writers reach for it when they want a compact, faintly wry way to condemn corruption: political crookery, financial crookery, the petty crookery of market traders. Its tone is contemptuous but rarely furious — it suggests a shake of the head as much as outrage. Because it rhymes with the innocuous 'cookery', it can lend itself to pointed contrast or humour, making it a useful word for editorial prose, satire, and everyday complaint about the dishonesty of others.
nounDishonest or deceitful behaviour; the practice of trickery, swindling, or other underhand dealings.
- Dishonest or fraudulent conduct; underhand or criminal dealings, especially of a scheming or petty variety.
"The report exposed years of crookery at the heart of the charity's finances."
"Voters grew weary of the endless crookery in city hall."
"He made a tidy fortune through a mixture of charm and outright crookery."
It rhymes with 'cookery', but the only thing 'crookery' cooks up is a scam.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of crookery
Crookery is formed from 'crook', a word of Old Norse origin ('krókr', meaning hook) that entered English by the medieval period and came to be applied figuratively to dishonest people — hence 'a crook'. The suffix '-ery' denotes practice or behaviour, as in 'trickery' and 'skulduggery'-style formations. The word therefore belongs to a family of English terms built on the crooked-hook image, alongside 'crooked' and cognates such as 'crotchet' and 'crochet', which preserve the original hooked-shape sense.
How crookery is actually used
Crookery is an informal to mildly literary word, used chiefly in British English though understood elsewhere. It carries a connotation of habitual, almost craft-like dishonesty rather than a single crime, and is often applied to politicians, financiers, and small-time swindlers with a tone of wry contempt.
Easily confused with crookery
Cookery is the art or practice of cooking food, while crookery means dishonest dealing and trickery.