easy mark vs. put-upon

Young-min asked:

Can you explain the different meaning of 'an easy mark' and 'a put-upon type'?


This takes some unpacking. A mark is term criminals use for a person who is the target of their scam or crime. They have been "marked" to be the victim. An easy mark is someone the criminal (or "con artist") thinks will fall for their scam more easily than your average person. So, in more general language, an easy mark is someone who is easily fooled.

I haven't actually heard 'a put-upon type' as a common expression. However, if someone is put-upon, someone has imposed a task or condition on them against their wishes. The term also implies that they are communicating their resentment of the situation, usually by grumbling or sullen looks. So, to me, a put-upon type would be someone who is often put in this position, or acts like they are in this position even when they're not.

So in both cases, they are people who have a tendency to be taken advantage of. In the first, in its historical use, someone is an easy victim for a criminal. In a more general sense, they are easily fooled, either in a good-natured way as the victim of a joke, or in a bad way, like by a predatory lending institution or salesman. In the second, they are someone that people tend to give work to that they don't necessarily want to be doing.