Conning is an inflected form of the verb 'con'. As a transitive verb it means committing something to memory; or, studying or examining closely. It could refer to knowing, understanding or acknowledging. Nautically speaking, con or conn could also mean directing the steering or the course of (a vessel). As a noun it could refer to the post or station of the one steering a vessel; or the act or the process of steering (a vessel). In slang, to con someone also means to swindle or manipulate, or even to persuade, cajole.
A confidence trick, or a confidence game, which is also called a con or a scam is an endeavor to deliberately mislead an individual or individuals (usually called the "mark") typically with the ultimate aim of financial or some other gain.
As a transitive verb concomes from the Middle English word 'connen', meaning 'to know, study, learn', which is a variation of 'cunnen', meaning 'to know', an infinitive of can. In nautical terms the word con comes from cond, which is from the Middle English conduen, meaning to conduct, which comes from Old French conduire, which is from Latin conducere, meaning 'to lead together'.
A confidence trick, or a confidence game, which is also called a con or a scam is an endeavor to deliberately mislead an individual or individuals (usually called the "mark") typically with the ultimate aim of financial or some other gain.
As a transitive verb concomes from the Middle English word 'connen', meaning 'to know, study, learn', which is a variation of 'cunnen', meaning 'to know', an infinitive of can. In nautical terms the word con comes from cond, which is from the Middle English conduen, meaning to conduct, which comes from Old French conduire, which is from Latin conducere, meaning 'to lead together'.