- shell game
- noun Date: 1890 1. thimblerig played especially with three walnut shells 2. fraud; especially a swindle involving the substitution of something of little or no value for a valuable item
New Collegiate Dictionary. 2001.
shell game
Look at other dictionaries:
shell game — n AmE a dishonest method of doing something, in which you pretend to be doing one thing when you are really doing another ▪ Critics called the proposal a shell game … Dictionary of contemporary English
shell game — shell′ game n. 1) gam a swindling game in which a small object is supposedly hidden under one of three walnut shells or the like and bets are made 2) any swindle or fraud • Etymology: 1885–90, amer … From formal English to slang
shell game — ☆ shell game n. 1. a game, typically a swindle, in which spectators are challenged to bet on the location of a small object ostensibly concealed under one of three cups or nutshells manipulated by sleight of hand 2. any scheme for tricking and… … English World dictionary
Shell game — For other uses, see Shell game (disambiguation). An illegal shell game performed with bottle caps on Fulton Street in New York City The shell game (also known as Thimblerig, Three shells and a pea, the old army game) is portrayed as a gambling… … Wikipedia
shell game — 1. a sleight of hand swindling game resembling thimblerig but employing walnut shells or the like instead of thimblelike cups. 2. any deceit, swindle, fraud, or the like. [1885 90, Amer.] * * * ▪ magic trick also called Cups And Balls Trick, … … Universalium
Shell Game (pricing game) — Shell Game is a pricing game on the American television game show The Price Is Right . Debuting on June 17, 1974, it is played for a four digit prize worth more than $2,000 (occasionally a car), and uses small prizes.GameplayShell Game is based… … Wikipedia
Shell game (disambiguation) — Shell game is a confidence trick. Shell game may also refer to: * Shell Game (short story) by Philip K. Dick * Shell Game (pricing game), a pricing game from The Price is Right based on the con game * Shell Game , a 1950 novel by Richard P.… … Wikipedia
Shell Game (short story) — Shell Game is a science fiction short story by Philip K. Dick. First published in Galaxy Science Fiction in 1954, it forms an interesting early examination of extreme paranoia. A group of paranoid mental patients are stranded on an alien planet… … Wikipedia
shell game — game of deception in which a small ball is hidden under one of three cup shaped objects which are then moved about while onlookers try and guess the ball s location, thimblerig; fraud … English contemporary dictionary
shell game — Synonyms and related words: bingo, boiler room, bucket shop, bunco game, card games, chuck and toss, chuck farthing, chuck a luck, con game, confidence game, crack loo, crap game, crap shooting, craps, fan tan, goldbrick, hazard, horse racing,… … Moby Thesaurus
shell game — noun a) A game of skill which requires the bettor to guess under which of three small cups (or shells) a pea sized object has been placed after the party operating the game rapidly rearranges them, providing opportunity for sleight of hand… … Wiktionary
