shill

American  

[shil] / ʃɪl /

noun

1. a person who poses as a customer in order to decoy others into participating, as at a gambling house, auction, confidence game, etc.

2. a person who publicizes or praises something or someone for reasons of self-interest, personal profit, or friendship or loyalty.

---

verb (used without object)

1. to work as a shill.

   He shills for a large casino.

verb (used with object)

1. to advertise or promote (a product) as or in the manner of a huckster; hustle.

   He was hired to shill a new TV show.

shill British  

/ ʃɪl /

noun

1. slang a confidence trickster's assistant, esp a person who poses as an ordinary customer, gambler, etc, in order to entice others to participate

---

Usage

What does shill mean? A shill is a person who praises or promotes something because they secretly have a personal stake in it.

Etymology

Origin of shill

First recorded in 1920–25; origin uncertain

Explanation

A shill is someone who pretends to be a customer, but is really an accomplice. If you post a positive review online of your best friend's terrible taxi service, you're a shill. In journalism, asking a politician extremely easy questions instead of the difficult ones they don't like answering is one way to be labeled a shill. And if you see someone win a hundred dollars from a sidewalk magician, they're almost definitely a shill, trying to entice others to gamble on the trick. This word was originally carnival huckster lingo, shortened from shillaber, of unknown origin.

Related Words

• bettor
• bookie
• bookmaker