shell game

noun

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.

shell game

noun

1. the US name for thimblerig

Word History and Origins

Origin of shell game¹

An Americanism dating back to 1885–90

Example Sentences

The group has called it a “shell game” and a “taxpayer rip-off.”

From Los Angeles Times

This is a typical shell game that conservatives play.

From Salon

This atomic shell game would cover an area about the size of the state of Alabama.

From Salon

The complaint also alleges that, for years, Grubhub “hidden the true cost of its delivery services — a tactic that a former executive called a ‘pricing shell game.’”

From Salon

But there’s a bit of a shell game going on when it comes to Vance’s poverty credentials.

From Salon