thimblerig
/ˈθɪmbəlˌrɪɡ/
noun
- A swindling game in which a small object is hidden under one of three thimble-like cups, which are then moved around; the player bets on which cup hides the object, but the operator cheats.
- The carnival barker ran a thimblerig that tricked many tourists out of their money.
- He lost twenty dollars playing thimblerig before realizing it was rigged.
- Thimblerig is an old con game that still appears at some street fairs.
verb
- To cheat or swindle someone, especially by using a thimblerig game or similar trickery.
- The con artist tried to thimblerig the crowd with a simple shell game.
- He learned how to thimblerig from an old gambler in the back alley.
- They were caught trying to thimblerig tourists in the park.