shell game

noun

1. a sleight-of-hand swindling game resembling thimblerig but employing walnut shells or the like instead of thimblelike cups.
2. any deceit, swindle, fraud, or the like.

shell game

noun

1. the US name for thimblerig

Word History and Origins

Origin of shell game¹

An Americanism dating back to 1885–90

Example Sentences

But there’s a bit of a shell game going on when it comes to Vance’s poverty credentials.

From Salon

Each had a sea sponge underneath, like a rigged shell game.

From Literature

“It’s a shell game and there’s no way to enforce this stuff because it’s all an algorithm in a black box — how we’re paid and whether or not we get benefits,” Moore said.

From Los Angeles Times

Private equity catastrophes, faceless hedges and trusts, unchecked conglomerates and the ongoing shell game of parent companies — the wealthy gutted US science journalism in 2023 through a number of opaque and convoluted financial vehicles.

From Salon

The tradwives claiming otherwise on social media are playing a shell game.

From Salon