What does this phrase mean?
I never give a sucker an even break.
Does it mean that the author of this saying is unwilling to offer somebody who he doesn't like a break/rest while he is working?
Learn English – Meaning of “I never give a sucker an even break”
meaning
Best Answer
Here break is used in the sense of division. To give someone an even break is, centrally, to divide something fairly with them, and metaphorically, to make a fair deal with them.
A sucker is someone who is easily fooled. This is colloquial American English from the nineteenth century, and nobody’s sure anymore why it means that. One explanation is that it originally referred to a very young farm animal, one that hadn't yet been weaned (e.g. a suckling pig) and was transferred to people who were very new to the big city; compare greenhorn.
Thus, someone who says “I never give a sucker an even break” means that they take advantage of fools at every opportunity. This is the motto of a con man, that is, someone whose profession is tricking people out of their money.