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You are here: Home / Language / Where Did the Term “Piker” For a Small-Time Player Come From and What Does the Word Mean?

Where Did the Term “Piker” For a Small-Time Player Come From and What Does the Word Mean?

April 22, 2020 by Karen Hill

Many early highways had entrances that were blocked by a pike, or long pole, which was “turned,” or opened, after a toll was paid.

These highways were called turnpikes.

Those who walked these roads were sometimes vagrants and very often unsophisticated farm boys on their way to seek their fortunes in the city.

If you just “came down the pike” you were naive and often admonished as a “piker.”

A small-time player is also known as a “piker”.

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Filed Under: Language

About Karen Hill

Karen Hill is a freelance writer, editor, and columnist. Born in New York, her work has appeared in the Examiner, Yahoo News, Buzzfeed, among others.

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