David W. Maurer

David Warren "Doc" Maurer (April 12, 1906 – June 11, 1981) was a professor of linguistics at the University of Louisville from 1937 to 1972. He was an acknowledged expert in American slang, especially the lingo of grifters, pickpockets, forgers, safecrackers and other underworld characters. In his academic career, he authored over 200 journal articles, professional papers, and books in the field of linguistics.

Maurer's best-known book was ''The Big Con'' (1940), one of his few works written for general readers. It details early 20th century American practitioners of confidence games, both "big cons" (also known as "long cons") and "short cons". It was based on knowledge Maurer obtained from interviewing hundreds of grifters and con artists. The book provided source material for the Academy Award-winning original screenplay by David S. Ward for ''The Sting'' (1973), but in Maurer's view, ''The Big Con'' was not properly credited. In 1974, he brought a $10 million copyright infringement lawsuit against Ward and Universal Studios. The suit was settled out of court in 1976 for an estimated $600,000. Provided by Wikipedia