one-armed bandit
1
4.8
- noun
- /ˈwʌnˌɑrmd ˈbændɪt/
:
tragaperras
- In the corner of the arcade, the shiny one-armed bandit attracted players with its bright lights and sounds.
- play the one-armed bandit
Examples
-
Through smoked windows, he could see a small casino, with thirty or so one-armed bandits, four card tables, and a horseshoe-shaped bar.
Fiction book (1993) -
That left about fifteen dollars to have a few drinks at the casino bar, to the accompaniment of the clatter and jangle of the one-armed bandits and the clacking of the roulette wheel.
Fiction book (1993) -
I think of it as pulling the lever of a one-armed bandit.
Blog text (28) -
All in all, sitting with the slots and seeking to tame normally the one-armed bandit is usually an entertaining approach to pass the day.
Blog text (28) -
They were also called one-armed bandits as they were operated with a lever.
Blog text (20) -
"Any work here for a one-armed bandit?" Bradley latched onto the fence, trying to haul himself up onto it.
Fiction book (1993) -
Pantucci limps around the bar, down a row of one-armed bandits, rounds a corner, and comes face-to-face with Hanover.
Fiction book (1998) -
With the click of a mouse, a growing number of gamblers are electronically spinning roulette wheels, pulling the handles of one-armed bandits, facing off against cyber-dealers in games of 21, and playing the odds on NCAA tournament teams.
Academic text (2000) -
When we visited the casino, I tried my luck at the one-armed bandit and won a few coins.
-
Everyone was excited as they gathered around the one-armed bandit to see if anyone would win the jackpot.
Synonyms
59
3.4
A machine in a casino that pays money when you win
25
3.3
A machine in a casino where you put coins and spin pictures to try to win money
Surface Forms
Morphology
one-armed + bandit
The meaning 'slot machine' is not predictable from 'one-armed' (having one arm) + 'bandit' (a robber); a B1 learner would more likely interpret the phrase literally as a one-armed robber. The term is a cultural/metaphorical nickname (the machine has a single lever and 'steals' money), so without specific exposure learners cannot derive the intended meaning.
Etymology
The noun one-armed bandit comes from old slot machines that had a single lever, like one arm, and people called the machine a bandit because it seemed to 'steal' players' coins. So today one-armed bandit means 'slot machine'.