Green’s Dictionary of Slang

a cheat, a trick.

c.1698		B.E. Dict. Canting Crew n.p.: Fun c. a Cheat, or slippery Trick.
1725		New Canting Dict. [as cit. c.1698].
1737, 1759, 1760, 1776		Bailey Universal Etym. Eng. Dict. [as cit. c.1698].
1785, 1788, 1796		Grose Classical Dict. of the Vulgar Tongue.
1811		Lex. Balatronicum.
1823		Egan Grose’s Classical Dict. of the Vulgar Tongue.
1886–96		Marshall ‘Nobbled’ ‘Pomes’ from the Pink ’Un 115: I waited to pipe off the fun [F&H].