thimblerigger Definition
a person who cheats by trickery in gambling or other contests.
Using thimblerigger: Examples
Take a moment to familiarize yourself with how "thimblerigger" can be used in various situations through the following examples!
Example
The thimblerigger tricked the crowd with his sleight of hand.
Example
He was caught thimblerigging at the county fair.
Example
The police arrested the thimblerigger for fraud.
thimblerigger Synonyms and Antonyms
Phrases with thimblerigger
three-card monte
a game of chance where a dealer moves three cards around and the player has to guess which card is the queen. It is often used as a cover for thimblerigging.
Example
The thimblerigger used three-card monte to cheat people out of their money.
a game of chance where a ball is hidden under one of three shells and the player has to guess which shell it is under. It is often used as a cover for thimblerigging.
Example
The thimblerigger used the shell game to cheat people out of their money.
to cheat or swindle someone, often in a game of chance
Example
The thimblerigger hustled the tourists out of their money with his rigged game.
Origins of thimblerigger
from 'thimble' (a small metal cap used to protect the finger while sewing) + 'rig', meaning 'to manipulate dishonestly'
Summary: thimblerigger in Brief
'Thimblerigger' [ˈθɪmbl̩rɪɡər] refers to a person who cheats by trickery in gambling or other contests. It is often associated with games of chance like three-card monte or the shell game, which are used as covers for thimblerigging. Synonyms include 'swindler', 'cheat', and 'trickster'.
