Even if we take that definition though the joke isn’t really good though. Why would the police need drawings of convicts? Drawings are used when the police don’t know who committed a crime.
The definition for con is broad enough to encompass anyone with any relation to having done crime. They don’t have to be convicted. Ex-con, though, does require conviction and serving out the sentence.
A con is fairly common parlance for a career criminal. I’m surprised you’ve never heard it used that way.
Even if we take that definition though the joke isn’t really good though. Why would the police need drawings of convicts? Drawings are used when the police don’t know who committed a crime.
The definition for con is broad enough to encompass anyone with any relation to having done crime. They don’t have to be convicted. Ex-con, though, does require conviction and serving out the sentence.
Can you give an example sentence for ‘cons’? “This city is full of cons.” “Some cons came and stole a cig right out of my mouth.” Something like that?