thimblerig
English
/ˈθɪmbəlɹɪɡ/
noun
Definitions
- 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 sleight-of-hand trickery; a shell game.
- One operating such a game.
Etymology
Compound from English thimble + English rig (a wanton girl).
Origin
English
rig
Gloss
a wanton girl
Timeline
Distribution of cognates by language
Geogrpahic distribution of cognates
Cognates and derived terms
- derig English
- oilrig English
- prerig English
- rerig English
- rig English
- rigged English
- rigger English
- riggish English
- thimble English
- thimbleberry English
- thimbled English
- thimbleeye English
- thimbleful English
- thimbleman English
- thimblerigger English
- thimbleweed English
- thumb English
- unrig English
- rigg Norwegian Bokmål
- *rik- Proto-Germanic
- rigg Norwegian Nynorsk
- thymbyll Middle English