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Glite Dictionary
thimblerig

thimblerig

9.9
A street trick that hides a small object under three cups to cheat people who bet
  • noun
  • /ˈθɪmbəlˌrɪg/
  • Archaic
translation icon : juego de los tres vasos
  • The street performer was expert in thimblerig, fooling many with his quick hands and misdirection.

Examples

  • He lost his money in a thimblerig scam, not realizing the dealer was cheating him.

  • First lie you've told today, Thimblerig.

    The Alamo (1960)

  • "discuss" = distract, deny, obfuscate, blow smoke -- thimblerig

    Blog text (20)

  • At the fair, the magician played a thimblerig game, making the ball disappear under the cups.

Synonyms

shell game
vsthimblerig
4 8.8

A cheating street game where someone hides an object under cups and makes people guess where it is

focuses on sleight of hand skill rather than general deception

Antonyms

honesty
365 1.0

Being truthful and fair in what you say and do

fair play
16 3.0

Honest behavior that treats everyone the same and follows the rules in sport or competition

Surface Forms

thimblerig singular
thimblerigs plural

Morphology

thimblerig = thimble + rig (semi-transparent) = thimble + rig

Both components are identifiable ('thimble' and 'rig'), but the specialized sense referring to a particular cheating game requires cultural or lexical knowledge of 'rig' as a cheat.

Etymology

Thimblerig comes from thimble ('small sewing cap') and rig ('to cheat' or 'to fix a result'). It was the name for a street trick where someone hides a small object under a thimble or cup, so a thimblerig is still a cheating game that tricks people into betting on the hidden item.