thimblerig
[ thim-buh l-rig ]
/ ˈθɪm bəlˌrɪg /
noun
a sleight-of-hand swindling game in which the operator palms a pellet or pea while appearing to cover it with one of three thimblelike cups, and then, moving the cups about, offers to bet that no one can tell under which cup the pellet or pea lies.
verb (used with object), thim·ble·rigged, thim·ble·rig·ging.
to cheat by or as by the thimblerig.
Nearby words
- thilk,
- thill,
- thimble,
- thimbleberry,
- thimbleful,
- thimbleweed,
- thimblewit,
- thimbu,
- thimerosal,
- thimphu
Origin of thimblerig
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for thimblerig
How terribly alike are all human rogueries, whether the scene be a conference at Vienna, or the tent of a thimblerig at Ascot!
The Fortunes Of Glencore|Charles James LeverA Tory told me it was a second edition of the thimblerig speech, which, if so, will not do him good.
The Greville Memoirs|Charles C. F. GrevilleThe real name of this man Crockett never told, but assigned to him the nickname “Thimblerig.”
Journeys Through Bookland, Vol. 8|Charles H. Sylvester
thimblerig
/ (ˈθɪmbəlˌrɪɡ) /
noun
a game in which the operator rapidly moves about three inverted thimbles, often with sleight of hand, one of which conceals a token, the other player betting on which thimble the token is under
verb -rigs, -rigging or -rigged
(tr) to cheat or swindle, as in this game
Word Origin for thimblerig
C19: from thimble + rig (in obsolete sense: a trick, scheme)
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
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