shell game

English

A shell game in The Conjurer, by Bosch

Pronunciation

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Noun

shell game (plural shell games)

1. A game of skill which requires the bettor to guess which of three small cups (or shells) a pea-sized object is concealed under, after the party operating the game rapidly rearranges them, providing opportunity for sleight-of-hand trickery.
2. Any confidence scheme, especially one involving the rapid movement of investment funds to a location beyond recovery.

Related terms

• shell company

Translations

game which requires the bettor to guess under which of three small cups a pea-sized object has been placed

• Bulgarian: тука има тука няма (tuka ima tuka njama)
• Czech: skořápky (cs) f pl
• German: Hütchenspiel (de) n
• Hungarian: itt a piros, hol a piros (literally “here’s the red; where’s the red”)
• Irish: cluiche sliogán m, cleas na méaracán m
• Russian: напёрстки pl (napjórstki)
• Spanish: trile (es) m, Pepito paga doble (es) m, mosqueta (es) f
• Swedish: bägarspelet n
• Welsh: tric y tri gwniadur m

See also

• three-card monte
• shell game on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
• Category:shell game on Wikimedia Commons.Wikimedia Commons