thimblerig
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thimblerig
- /ˈθɪmbəlɹɪɡ/ US, UK
Where it comes from
From thimble + rig.
noun thimblerigs · thimble-rig
-
A game of skill which requires the bettor to guess under which of three small cups (or thimbles) a pea-sized object has been placed after the party operating the game rapidly rearranges them, providing opportunity for sleight-of-hand trickery; a shell game.
He’ll muddle away the Begum’s fortune at thimble-rig, be caught picking pockets, and finish on board the hulks.
Similar: shell game
-
One operating such a game.
Similar: thimblerigger
verb thimblerigs · thimblerigging · thimblerigged · thimble-rig
- To operate a thimblerig game. Old Pratt is a different kind of crook—a psalm-singing, pussyfooted old buccaneer, teaching a Bible class on Sundays and thimblerigging in Wall Street on week days.
- To cheat (someone) by trickery. The favor is to you. I do not permit any man to thimblerig his debts to me into my debts to him.
Translations
Every language
noun person operating such a game — see also thimblerigger
| Español | trilero, trilera |
|---|---|
| Русский | напёрсточник napjórstočnik |
Talk about this word "thimblerig." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/thimblerig. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. thimblerig. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/thimblerig "thimblerig." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/thimblerig.Cite this
@misc{thimblerig_2026,
title = {thimblerig},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/thimblerig},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
