Thieves' words for their victims
What words might a thief (of any variety) use to describe the victims of his theft?
Con artists in film often use "mark", for example. Is there other jargon specific to the con branch* of crime? How about burglars? Muggers? Bank robbers? Politicians? Oh, sorry... Highwaymen? Pickpockets?
*We might call these words "con-specific". :p
There are many terms for victim of a thief or swindler besides mark. Among them are
- dupe
- stooge
- sucker
- fall guy
- chump
- patsy
In games like chess, witless victims of chess sharps are called "fish" or "patzers".
In poker, victims of the poker sharks are called, variously
- fish
- donkeys (or "donks")
- dead money
- whales (fools with a lot of money; you generally see sharks circling around these players in a feeding frenzy)
From the thematic Oxford Dictionary of Slang by Lexicographer John Ayto (including the word mark you already mention).
For a simple swindle:
fly-flat (1864) British, dated; applied to someone taken in by confidence tricksters; from fly (knowing, alert) + obsolete flat (gullible person)
• Joyce Cary: 'I don't see why we should consider the speculators.' 'A lot of fly-flats who thought they could beat us at the game.'(1938)
mark (1883) Orig US; applied to the intended victim of confidence tricksters; often in the phrase a soft (or easy) mark
• Edmund McGirr: In the twenties it was the Yanks who was the suckers, but now... it's us who are the marks. (1973)
For kidnap victims:
package (1933) Mainly US; applied to a kidnap victim
• Sun (Baltimore): The 'package', as the kidnapped victim is called, is rushed across the State line and delivered to the'keepers'. (1933)
- Nigerian scammers: Mugu
- Politicians: voters