arnaque

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scam, fraud, con, rip-off, swindle
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/aʁ.nak/
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A dishonest setup or unfair deal, with a forgotten old slang use for those who enforced the law.
Practice using arnaque in conversation until it feels natural

Examples

  • Ils ont découvert l'arnaque avant d'envoyer l'argent.
    They discovered the scam before sending the money.
  • La police enquête sur une arnaque à l'assurance.
    The police are investigating an insurance fraud.
  • Les touristes ont dénoncé l'arnaque des tarifs gonflés.
    The tourists condemned the rip-off of inflated prices.
  • Ce sens de l'arnaque pour la police n'appartient plus au français courant.
    This use of arnaque for the police is no longer part of everyday French.
  • Le produit fonctionne, mais la garantie payante est une arnaque.
    The product works, but the paid warranty is a rip-off.

Similar words

police
marché de dupes
agents de sûreté
tromperie
attrape
vol
combine
filouterie
prix abusif
abus

Meanings

Fraudulent scheme or deception

noun
crime
informal
An informal word for a planned deception used to steal money, goods, information, or trust from a victim.

Examples

  • Ce faux message de la banque est une arnaque.
    This fake bank message is a scam.
  • Elle a perdu ses économies dans une arnaque en ligne.
    She lost her savings in an online scam.
  • La police enquête sur une arnaque à l'assurance.
    The police are investigating an insurance fraud.
  • Méfie-toi de cette arnaque téléphonique.
    Watch out for this telephone scam.
  • Ils ont découvert l'arnaque avant d'envoyer l'argent.
    They discovered the scam before sending the money.

Similar words

escroquerie
fraude
tromperie
filouterie
entourloupe
combine
magouille

Unfair or overpriced deal

noun
commerce
informal
An informal judgment that a price, fee, offer, or commercial arrangement is grossly unfair and mainly benefits the seller, even when it is not legally fraudulent.

Examples

  • Quarante euros pour ce repas, c'est une arnaque !
    Forty euros for this meal is a rip-off!
  • Ces frais cachés transforment l'offre en arnaque.
    These hidden fees turn the offer into a rip-off.
  • À ce prix-là, leur abonnement est une vraie arnaque.
    At that price, their subscription is a real rip-off.
  • Le produit fonctionne, mais la garantie payante est une arnaque.
    The product works, but the paid warranty is a rip-off.
  • Les touristes ont dénoncé l'arnaque des tarifs gonflés.
    The tourists condemned the rip-off of inflated prices.

Similar words

abus
vol
attrape
prix abusif
marché de dupes

Police in old criminal slang

noun
law enforcement
archaic
An obsolete underworld term for the police or their agents, attested in 19th and early 20th-century criminal slang and no longer used with this meaning in ordinary French.

Examples

  • Dans l'argot des voleurs du XIXe siècle, l'arnaque désignait la police.
    In 19th-century thieves' slang, the police were called arnaque.
  • Le personnage crie que l'arnaque arrive, dans un texte de 1891.
    A character shouts that the police are coming in an 1891 text.
  • Le vieux dictionnaire traduit l'arnaque par les agents de sûreté.
    The old dictionary translates arnaque as security agents.
  • À l'époque, voir l'arnaque signifiait apercevoir la police.
    At the time, seeing arnaque meant spotting the police.
  • Ce sens de l'arnaque pour la police n'appartient plus au français courant.
    This use of arnaque for the police is no longer part of everyday French.

Similar words

police
rousse
flicaille
forces de l'ordre
agents de sûreté

Etymology

The noun arnaque was formed from the verb arnaquer and appeared in several older spellings, including arnac and arnache. Its deeper origin is disputed, so no single earlier source is certain.

FAQ

What does arnaque mean?

Arnaque usually means a scam or fraud, and it can also label an unfair commercial rip-off.

What does c'est une arnaque mean?

C'est une arnaque means “it's a scam” or “it's a rip-off”, depending on whether actual deception or an unfair price is meant.

Is arnaque formal French?

No. Arnaque is informal. Escroquerie or fraude is more suitable in formal and legal contexts.

Is arnaque masculine or feminine?

Arnaque is feminine, so French says une arnaque and des arnaques.

How do you pronounce arnaque?

Arnaque is pronounced /aʁ.nak/, with the final k clearly heard.

Did arnaque once mean the police?

Yes. In old criminal slang, l'arnaque could mean the police or police agents, but that sense is now obsolete.

Comments & contributions

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Golden Marten
Aug 12
In France right now a very common phrase is arnaque au faux conseiller bancaire. its the phone scam where someone pretends to be your bank, sometimes even with the bank number showing on your phone
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Contribution
Maple Bobcat
Jul 30
i always trip over the agreement in elle s'est fait arnaquer. You dont write faite arnaquer, fait stays plain because another infinitive follows. Same deal with elle s'est fait couper les cheveux
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