Con, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Conned p. pr. & vb. n. Conning.]
 1. To know; to understand; to acknowledge. [Obs.]
    Of muses, Hobbinol, I con no skill.   --Spenser.
    They say they con to heaven the highway.   --Spenser.
 2. To study in order to know; to peruse; to learn; to commit to memory; to regard studiously.
 Fixedly did look
 Upon the muddy waters which he conned
 As if he had been reading in a book.   --Wordsworth.
    I did not come into Parliament to con my lesson.   --Burke.
 To con answer, to be able to answer. [Obs.]
 To con thanks, to thank; to acknowledge obligation. [Obs.]


 conning
      See con


 con
      n 1: an argument opposed to a proposal [ant: pro]
      2: a person serving a sentence in a jail or prison [syn: convict,
          inmate, jailbird, gaolbird]
      3: a swindle in which you cheat at gambling or persuade a
         person to buy worthless property [syn: bunco, {bunco
         game, bunko, bunko game, confidence trick, {confidence
         game, con game, gyp, hustle, sting, flimflam]
      adv : on the negative side; "much was written pro and con" [syn: {in
            opposition] [ant: pro]
      v 1: deprive of by deceit; "He swindled me out of my
           inheritance"; "She defrauded the customers who trusted
           her"; "the cashier gypped me when he gave me too little
           change" [syn: victimize, swindle, rook, goldbrick,
            nobble, diddle, bunco, defraud, scam, mulct,
            gyp]
      2: commit to memory; learn by heart; "Have you memorized your
         lines for the play yet?" [syn: memorize, memorise, learn]
      [also: conning, conned]