The shell game (also known as Thimblerig, Three shells and a pea, the old army game) is portrayed as a gambling game, but in reality, when a wager for money is made, it is a confidence trick used to perpetrate fraud. In confidence trick slang, this swindle is referred to as a short-con because it is quick and easy to pull off.
Famous quotes containing the words shell and/or game:
“Billy: You dropped some shell in there.
Ted: Its all right. Makes it crunchier that way. You like French toast crunchy, dont you?”
—Robert Benton (b. 1932)
“It is usual for a Man who loves Country Sports to preserve the Game in his own Grounds, and divert himself upon those that belong to his Neighbour.”
—Joseph Addison (16721719)