Past tense of chouse: to cheat or swindle someone out of money or goods.
From chouse, a verb that emerged in 17th-century English, possibly from Turkish 'çauş' (a messenger or herald), though the connection to cheating is unclear. The word may have originally referred to a specific type of swindler or scam associated with Ottoman traders.
The word chouse is one of English's most mysterious origins—scholars still aren't sure if it really comes from Turkish or if it's pure English slang that just happens to sound foreign. It enjoyed a brief moment of popularity in the 1600s and then almost completely vanished from everyday language.
Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.