skullduggery

or skul·dug·ger·y

[ skuhl-duhg-uh-ree ]
See synonyms for skullduggery on Thesaurus.com
noun,plural skull·dug·ger·ies.
  1. dishonorable proceedings; mean dishonesty or trickery: They dealt in bribery, graft, and other such skullduggery.

  2. an instance of dishonest or deceitful behavior; trick.

Origin of skullduggery

1
An Americanism dating back to 1865–70; variant of sculduddery, originally Scots: “fornication, obscenity,” of unknown origin
  • Sometimes scull·dug·ger·y, scul·dug·ger·y .

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use skullduggery in a sentence

  • If you put over any of your sculduggery on us, he'll wipe you off the map no matter in what lonesome hole you hide.

    Steve Yeager | William MacLeod Raine