Archaic term for dishonest behavior, deception, or fraudulent dealings; crooked or dishonest activity.
From crook (in the sense of dishonest person or behavior) plus the suffix -ery (denoting a practice or collection of behaviors), similar to 'trickery' or 'knavery.'
Crookery is a gorgeous old word that shows how English once had specific -ery words for different kinds of misbehavior—'trickery,' 'knavery,' 'crookery'—before we consolidated to simpler terms.
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