Well, the title basically is the question. Is it simply a fancy name for selling stolen goods for cash? …as opposed to stealing goods for one’s one personal use, I guess? Please clarify/explain… - Jinx
You steal something. I am your “fence”. I will give you a small amount of money for the item and resell the item at a profit.
dictionary.com gives the following two definitions:
So I guess it is the action of selling stolen goods, regardless of whether you did the stealing.
Grim
<joke>
No, no, a fencing operation is the deal with those swords that have no edge and no point, and the guys in white suits and masks trying to tag each other with the swords.
</joke>
Sorry, i couldn’t resist that one.
“Fencing” refers to the illegal business of intentionally receiving stolen goods for resale purposes. (And “intentional” includes “willful negligence” – “I don’t want to know where you got all that jewelry from” is not sufficient defense!)
Although to continue chrisk’s joke, “a fencing operation” is when your surgeon comes in with an epée… 