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

It’s just this shell game of information about how our system is operating.

From MIT Technology Review

No one has been a bigger perpetrator of this shell game lie than Emmert.

From Washington Post

The Wall Street shell game can be viewed another way—through those literal markets that always stay ahead of the regulators.

From The Daily Beast

You see,” he explained, moving to the washstand, “this shell game is easy enough when you know how.

From Project Gutenberg

Even in this here simple little shell game I got to have a podner.

From Project Gutenberg

Where would you find a man to run your shell game while you was gone?

From Project Gutenberg

Psionics hadn't done away with anything including the old shell game.

From Project Gutenberg

My impression was that if he had said "shell game" he would have more accurately stated his case.

From Project Gutenberg