Hustle:
INFORMAL/NORTH AMERICAN
a fraud or swindle.
"the hustles being used to avoid the draft"
'obtain by forceful action or persuasion'.
"the brothers headed to New York to try and hustle a record deal"
Why is the word hustle suddenly used all the time to describe work? I blame Gary Vaynerchuk, the born wealthy marketing hustler who was a big influence back in the days when 'social media' was cute and new. It just sounds shady and seedy to me, and not something I'd want anywhere near any of my interests or hobbies
> I blame Gary Vaynerchuk, the born wealthy marketing hustler
I’m not one to defend GV, but I don’t think I would call being born in Soviet Belarus in 1975 and coming to the US in 1978 at the age of 3 as being “born wealthy”.
Maybe their family had some connections. Maybe his family turned those connections into a healthy (upper?) middle class life ($3m of sales at a discount liquor store in NJ is not “wealthy”).
Anyway, regardless of how one views GV, seeing what his family did and what he did ($3m to $60m annual sales in 5 years) is impressive.
I get used car salesman vibe from him, and him inheriting a wine business gave him a more solid footing starting out than most. He made a lot of $ from vc too. Does not take a genius to sink a couple k into Facebook and Uber and get rich. I would have too if the opptunity presented itself to me.
You used an antiquated nearly obsolete definition. The current - also informal - use is derived from the fraud one but only in the clever nature involved, and isnt about fraud. Its closer to the sports meaning of perseverance.
> Its closer to the sports meaning of perseverance.
Which is itself a hustle per the definitions GP quoted! Probably one of the oldest-going ones. That is, promoting the image of some lofty qualities of a perfect athlete, to give additional meaning and allure to what's otherwise an exercise in competitive showmanship, an entertainment business.
The nature of the swindle becomes visible when one considers that: 1) the role-model athletes, whether today or in ancient past, are people entering large championships - i.e. professional athletes; 2) every player in professional sports is driven to get better, but there's a silent, implicit "but not too much, lest the game becomes too easy, too boring for the audience, and we the spectator money" attached to this.
'obtain by forceful action or persuasion'. "the brothers headed to New York to try and hustle a record deal"
Why is the word hustle suddenly used all the time to describe work? I blame Gary Vaynerchuk, the born wealthy marketing hustler who was a big influence back in the days when 'social media' was cute and new. It just sounds shady and seedy to me, and not something I'd want anywhere near any of my interests or hobbies