Definition

1. Noun:
   • A swindling sleight-of-hand game, typically involving three cups or thimbles and a small pellet or ball. The operator quickly moves the cups, and the victim must guess under which cup the pellet is hidden. The game is rigged to deceive the player.

Usage

• Noun:
  • The term "thimblerig" specifically refers to the deceptive game itself or an instance of it.
  • It is often used to describe a classic street con or a trick based on misdirection.

Examples

• Noun:
  • The police broke up a group running a thimblerig scam on the crowded street corner.
  • He lost his money in a simple thimblerig, failing to follow the correct cup.

Advanced Usage

• "to run a thimblerig": to operate this specific deceptive game.
  • The con artist was known to run a thimblerig at the fair every year.
• The word can be used metaphorically to describe any situation involving clever deception or a rigged choice.
  • The contract negotiation felt like a corporate thimblerig, with the real terms hidden from view.

Variants and Related Words

• Thimblerigger (noun): A person who operates a thimblerig game; a swindler who uses this method.
  • The thimblerigger's hands moved with astonishing speed.
• Thimblerigging (noun/gerund): The act or practice of operating a thimblerig.
  • He was arrested for thimblerigging.

Synonyms

• Shell game: (More common modern term) An almost identical swindling game using nutshells or cups.
• Cups and balls: A related magic trick and gambling game with a similar premise.
• Con game / Confidence trick: General terms for a swindle designed to trick a victim.

Related Phrases

• While "thimblerig" itself is not typically a phrasal verb, it is central to phrases describing the act:
  • To play thimblerig: To engage in or be subjected to this game.

    • Tourists were warned not to play thimblerig with the street vendors.

Related Idioms

• A game of thimblerig: Used to describe any scenario that is fundamentally deceptive or rigged.
  • The bidding process was a complete game of thimblerig, with the winner predetermined.

Noun

1. a swindling sleight-of-hand game; victim guesses which of three things a pellet is under