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pigeon drop
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noun
a confidence game or sleight-of-hand swindle whereby cash is extracted from the victim as collateral for a supposed share in a large sum of discovered money, dishonest profits, or gambling winnings, which in fact are nonexistent.
QUIZ
QUIZ YOURSELF ON "WAS" VS. "WERE"!
Were you ready for a quiz on this topic? Well, here it is! See how well you can differentiate between the uses of "was" vs. "were" in this quiz.
Question 1 of 7
“Was” is used for the indicative past tense of “to be,” and “were” is only used for the subjunctive past tense.
Origin of pigeon drop
1935–40, Americanism; so called because such swindles originally began with the dropping of a wallet in front of the intended victim, the pigeon
Words nearby pigeon drop
pig boiling, pig dog, pigeon, pigeon blood, pigeon breast, pigeon drop, pigeon hawk, pigeon-hearted, pigeonhole, pigeonite, pigeon-livered
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022