illywhacker

Etymology
. Suggested by lexicographer Sidney Baker to derive from illy (variant of eeler, from pig Latin eeler-spee for ) +. The verb form is a back-formation from the noun.

Noun

 * 1)  A small-time confidence trickster or seller of trinkets.

Usage notes
The term was little used before revived by Peter Carey's 1985 novel Illywhacker, and the original sense is now difficult to ascertain.