Meaning

noun an argument opposed to a proposal

noun a person serving a sentence in a jail or prison

noun a swindle in which you cheat at gambling or persuade a person to buy worthless property

originOrigin uncertain. Perhaps a clipping of Middle English acquerne, aquerne, ocquerne, okerne (“squirrel”), from Old English ācweorna, āqueorna, āquorna, ācurna (“squirrel”), from Proto-West Germanic *aikwernō, from Proto-Germanic *aikwernô (“squirrel”); or from its Old Norse cognate íkorni (“squirrel”), from the same ultimate source. Cognate with West Frisian iikhoarn (“squirrel”), Dutch eekhoorn…

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 3.0