Phrase guide
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
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noun
A company of swindlers who obtain goods on pretence of being established in business, and then decamp without payment to do the same elsewhere.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
History
* Perhaps from the idea that such a firm (company) would claim to have been established for a long time. * Perhaps from Old English gelang (“fraudulent”) and Italian firma (“signature”).
