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Comment by ChrisSD | Hacker News Reader

Thanks for mentioning this. The article at least seems clear from the start it's talking about tax fraud and evasion but that headline had me expecting a very different article.

This may be another case of English speaking communities being separated by the same language.

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Huh. Indeed it is. I'm American, and I did not even realize that "graft" meant "hard work" in British English.

Yeah, I'm British and I thought I knew most Americanism's, but I didn't know this one!

Interesting, I'm Australian and I understood it in the American sense. Haven't ever heard the British meaning used.

I'm a Brit and graft means hard work. I don't think I've ever heard it used in the sense of the article though - implying corruption. Graft, grafting etc (short "a") is a word I would generally associate with the north midlands (!) of England and up, ie around Derbyshire and up.

It is understood elsewhere in the UK but not used routinely. It might, say, be deployed for additional effect by someone not from northern England and imply very hard work. However, it might be pronounced in an exaggerated, imitation "generic Yorkshire" accent in which case it gets a bit complicated to explain.

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Actually, isn't the US word "grift" rather than "graft"?

Grift means swindle, or trick, often used as a verb. Taking advantage of someone without them realizing it. Graft usually has the connotation of bribery. A con-man would be called a grifter, while a politician would be accused of graft.

Ta for the explanation.

The closest Americanism that comes to mind for this term would be "grit", which I think is a bit different as it's more about enduring hardship (or hard work) than actually working hard. I think the word "hussle" is used similarly sometimes.

I've definitely come across the word "grifter" as a synonym for someone who defrauds people ("marks") in en_US.

"Grit" is a perfectly valid en_GB word meaning the same (enduring hardship.)

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