'Card Shark' or 'Cardsharp'?

Western novels, movies, and television shows regularly contain scenes of men in saloons playing cards—and cheating at cards. Sometimes a cheater is called a "card sharp" and other times a "card shark." Which one is correct?

"The Ox-Bow Incident," published in 1940, is a western novel set in the year 1885. The story opens with Art Croft and Gil Carter riding into the fictional town of Bridger’s Wells, Nevada. They enter a saloon and almost everything seems normal with men drinking and playing cards, but something doesn’t seem quite right. For one thing, Art is surprised he doesn’t hear anyone being called a "card sharp" (p. 19), which is what he called people who cheated, or were suspected of cheating, at cards. 

A 1960s western television show called "The Rifleman" is also set in the mid-1880s. In one episode of a 1960s western television show called "The Rifleman," which is also set in the mid-1880s, Lucas McCain (played by Chuck Connors) walks into a saloon in fictional North Fork, New Mexico, and sees his friend Lariat Jones (played by Richard Anderson) in a card game. From the camera angle, viewers see his opponent pull an ace of spades from inside his jacket to complete a royal flush. Then, Jones lays down four of a kind in aces, which includes an ace of spades. Since there’s only one ace of spades in a deck, one of them cheated and viewers know who it was. McCain says, "We shoot card sharks in this part of the country, mister," and the cheater runs out.  

In those two instances, why were two different words—"sharp" and "shark"—used to refer to the same thing: a cheater?

“Cardsharp” is often defined as someone who cheats at card games. The words “cardsharper” or “cardsharping” have the same, or similar, meaning, as does the word “sharper.” However, the word “sharp” in some contexts, can be a compliment and a positive description of something or someone.

“Card shark” can refer to a person who is good at playing cards without cheating or a person who cheats at cards. However, the word “sharker” refers to someone who cheats or is dishonest, but the word...

Keep reading on Quick and Dirty Tips