| 释义 |
shell game
noun
: a gambling game derived from the earlier thimblerig and in which a person by sleight-of-hand manipulates a pea or similar pellet and three half walnut shells or similar cuplike objects so that a spectator can seldom know surely under which shell the pea rests and then invites bets on the location of the pea
< the shell game is so often played dishonestly that its name has become symbolic of chicanery >
— compare three-card monte |