gesheft

Yiddish-derived slang for a business deal, transaction, or hustle — often with a hint that the deal involves some degree of cunning or shrewd negotiation. A gesheft is rarely a simple straightforward transaction; it carries flavour of the marketplace, of bargaining, of two parties each trying to come out ahead. Borrowed into English through American Jewish immigrant communities and used in contexts ranging from legitimate business to slightly shady arrangements.