A confidence trick is an attempt to defraud a person or group by gaining their confidence. A confidence artist is an individual operating alone or in concert with others who exploits characteristics of the human psyche such as dishonesty and honesty, vanity, compassion, credulity, irresponsibility, naivety and greed.
A confidence trick is also known as a con game, con, scam, grift, hustle, bunko, bunco, swindle, flimflam, gaffle, or bamboozle. The intended victims are known as marks. The perpetrator of a confidence trick is often referred to as a confidence man or woman, con man or woman, con artist or grifter. When accomplices are employed, they are known as shills.
In David Mamet's film House of Games, the main con artist gives a slightly different description of the "confidence game". He explains that, in a typical swindle, the con man gives the mark his own confidence, encouraging the mark to in turn trust him. The con artist thus poses as a trustworthy person seeking another trustworthy person.
The White Rabbit is a fictional character in Lewis Carroll's book Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. He appears at the very beginning of the book, in chapter one, wearing a waistcoat, and muttering "Oh dear! Oh dear! I shall be too late!" Alice follows him down the rabbit hole into Wonderland. Alice encounters him again when he mistakes her for his housemaid Mary Ann and she becomes trapped in his house after growing too large. The Rabbit shows up again in the last few chapters, as a herald-like servant of the King and Queen of Hearts.
In his article "Alice on the Stage," Carroll wrote "And the White Rabbit, what of him? Was he framed on the "Alice" lines, or meant as a contrast? As a contrast, distinctly. For her 'youth,' 'audacity,' 'vigour,' and 'swift directness of purpose,' read 'elderly,' 'timid,' 'feeble,' and 'nervously shilly-shallying,' and you will get something of what I meant him to be. I think the White Rabbit should wear spectacles. I'm sure his voice should quaver, and his knees quiver, and his whole air suggest a total inability to say 'Boo' to a goose!"
Never meant to hurt you, I don't know why
You come with your lawyers and your alibi
How can you look me straight in the eye
When you know
The clock on the wall is singing our song
The love in my heart is all dead and gone
You know why
You know why
There you go with your confidence trick
I'm much too wise, you don't fool me a bit
Feeling so low and looking so high
We both know that your truth is a lie
I never really knew you all these years
You lied to my face while I undressed your fears
Then you set me a-sail on an ocean of tears
Said goodbye
The clock on the wall is ticking real slow
There's nothing to say and there's nowhere to go
You know why
You know why
There, there you go with your confidence trick
I'm much too wise, you don't fool me a bit, no no
Feeling so low and looking so high
We both know that your truth is a lie
It's a lie
Looking up to the truth of what you are
Blinding all colours and beauty
And the sparkle in your eye is blinding
The clock on the wall is singing our song
The love in my heart is all dead and gone
You know why
You know why
Why, why, why, why, why, why
There, there you go with your confidence trick
I'm much too wise, you don't fool me a bit
Feeling so low and looking so high
We both know that your truth is a lie
It's a lie, lie
(The truth is, the truth is a lie)
(repeats in background)
And you never stopped loving me
Choaking back tears for you
So lovable
And we never go
And we never know
See I'm over
But I'm under
I don't ever wanna come down
I don't ever wanna come down
I don't ever wanna come down