Gyp
Disclaimer: I don’t know a lot about the Romani people. So, please take what I say with a grain of salt.
Congratulations to the Gypsy King, Tyson Fury, on his victory over Deontay Wilder. It was a very exciting boxing match. Today’s word comes from ‘gypsy’. Gyp (alternatively gip or jip) is a verb that means to cheat or deceive / scam someone.
Example: He promised me tickets. Instead, he gypped me out of $20.
Romani People
There is a stereotype that gypsies are liars and thieves, but who are the gypsies? The gypsies are a group of nomads (travelers) that live across Europe. Their real name is the Roma people, or Romani. The Romani people come from Northern India. From there, they spread across Europe and now the world. They had darker skin and facial features that must have appeared Egyptian to the Europeans because “gypsy” is derived from “Egyptian.” Other languages also call the Romani people a derivation of their word for Egyptian. Over time, the word, gypsy has been used to describe any group of nomadic people.
The name “gypsy” was given to the Romani people. They did not have a say. It is a racial slur (bad word) because of the association with lying and cheating. So, we should avoid using the word gyp as well. However, a lot of native English speakers do not know that gyp is a bad word. I certainly didn’t know that growing up. It is a fairly common word to describe being swindled.
In American English, gyp goes back to 1889 and is an abbreviation for gypsy. However, it is also attested from 1794 to describe a servant for students at university. In this etymology, it is believed that gyp was derived from gyps, a Greek word meaning vulture. Vultures are seen as thieves in the animal kingdom because they don’t kill their prey. They wait until other animals kill and then take the meat. Apparently, the gyps in the 18th century had a reputation for stealing as well.
See Also: Roll with the Punches, Might Doesn’t Make Right, Caught Red-Handed
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Reference:
https://www.etymonline.com/word/gyp
https://www.npr.org/sections/codeswitch/2013/12/30/242429836/why-being-gypped-hurts-the-roma-more-than-it-hurts-you