Is it "Card Sharp" or "Card Shark?"

[Kassiopeia]

Originally posted by MikeH
It's Card Sharp.

Sad that so many people think it's shark, and that even other languages stole the wrong one.

In all fairness, ripping off "Card sharp" into Finnish would be a tad more difficult than with "Card shark". The latter invokes a much more substantial mental image and a metaphore, and since it uses the name for an animal it's altogether easier to convert to Finnish.

[SpencerH]

Obviously its 'sharp'. WTF would a 'card shark' be? A big fish that attacks gambling houses. A 'sharp' is an old english term for a swindler. I'm surprised we weren't ax-ed what the real word is. Americans!

[MikeH]

Exactly.

[Japher]

Card Shark: 1980s short lived game show, not even respectful enough to be syndicated at 2am on the Game Show Network

Card Sharp: A hustler, H-U-S-T-L-E-R Hustler!

[Kontiki]

I always thought it was shark. As in a predator, feeding on the other players, as already mentioned.

[GePap]

Bah, I voted Shark, because that is the usage that is most commonly used, even if "incorrect".

[BustaMike]

To all the people who say it's card sharp. Does that mean that it's pool sharp too? I don't care what wiki says. It's shark.

[Mercator]

I had never even heard of either of these two terms.

[TCO]

sharp

[Jaguar]

To all who voted "Card Shark:" I wish you were dead.

[Kidlicious]

Why don't you just change your vote Jaguar?

[Maquiladora]

The holy poll has spoken.

[BustaMike]

No... seriously. I want to know. Does this mean you guys say pool sharp also?

[Pekka]

Idiots. Card Shark means skilled player. Maybe even a certain type of skilled player, like a predator, hunter. Our word that is the same, Korttihai, means exactly that. For hustler we have lots of other words, but that definitely ain't Korttihai. Maybe these are both legit terms, meaning different things.

Brings to my mind something. I wanted to buy a poker table, but they are freaking expensive!!! MUCHO EXPENSIVE. Would look awesome in my student apartment. No, seriously it would. I also have few friends who play. They play for money though, and I'm not much of a player. But we play texas hold'em every now and them. I always believed it was all about luck, but texas hold'em is a game that has a lot to do with skill also. They wipe me all the time, knowing the odds better and also knowing the good hands, strategies adn stuff like that. It's really fascinating stuff, I should sometimes learn about it more. It is of interest to me. I don't know, run a gambling house out of my place. Poker, craps, could to it the whole 9 yards.. gambling isn't even a serious crime in here, so the only really criminal would be not letting the IRS know about extra income, and then again, that's not a crime in here either. Sometimes I love this country .

[Boris Godunov]

Pool shark isn't related to the term card sharp. So give it a rest.