thimblerig

Meanings

Noun

• 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.
• One operating such a game.

Verb

• To cheat in the thimblerig game.
• To cheat (someone) by trickery.

Origin

• From thimble + rig.