Definition of SHELL GAME

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The shell game, a swindling trick in which a small ball or pea is quickly shifted from under one to another of three walnut shells or cups to fool the spectator guessing its location, is a version of one of the oldest and most widespread forms of sleight of hand. Conjurers have performed this trick, which is also called the cups and balls trick and thimblerig, throughout the world for centuries. The version that became popular in the United States in the late 19th century used walnut shells and peas. Shell game thus became the popular term for the trick, and the trick itself became so well known that the term is now used figuratively to describe dishonest actions that are done to deceive people.

Examples of shell game in a Sentence

it's amazing how intelligent people fall for that investment-fund shell game

Recent Examples on the Web Individuals who worked on the AATIP program say the current uncertainty and confusion was by design and involved a dizzying shell game that’s entirely consistent with how black budget intelligence programs are run. — Tim Mcmillan, Popular Mechanics, "Inside the Pentagon's Secret UFO Program," 14 Feb. 2020 The Gophers football team’s offense has created a shell game that has been producing more and more points this season. — Andy Greder, Twin Cities, "Gophers’ multiple options offensively help light up the scoreboard," 11 Oct. 2019 And there’s this major problem: This whole thing seems like a shell game. — Ann Killion, SFChronicle.com, "Why are A’s avoiding the simplest path to staying in Oakland?," 20 Nov. 2019 At the Defense Department, officials have played what amounts to a bureaucratic shell game to get money for the wall. — W.j. Hennigan, Time, "Newly Minted Pentagon Chief Authorizes Funding For Border Wall Expansion," 28 Aug. 2019 Lineups lately have been something of a shell game to account for pitching matchups, days off and the need to give bench players more work. — Phil Thompson, chicagotribune.com, "Robel Garcia gets his 1st look in the outfield, which gives the Cubs more lineup options," 20 July 2019 But then Kardos fools you with his smooth shell game. — Lloyd Sachs, chicagotribune.com, "Crime fiction reviews: Latest from Philip Kerr, Jo Nesbo and Michael Kardos," 17 Apr. 2018 Much advance coverage focused not just on the generational implications of the decision, but on how well the administration was keeping the choice from the press, treating the shell game like a proxy test of governance. — James Poniewozik, New York Times, "Trump’s Reality TV Supreme Court Rollout, Slick and Substance-Free," 10 July 2018 The problem, as Kelly points out, is that this was always a kind of shell game: Moon could never change the fact that the US and North Korea want fundamentally different things. — Zack Beauchamp, Vox, "Why Trump’s North Korea summit is going off the rails, explained by an expert," 21 May 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'shell game.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.