English
shill
Pronunciation Noun

shill (plural shills)

  1. A person paid to endorse a product favourably, while pretending to be impartial.
    • 1983, Robert Anton Wilson, Prometheus Rising,
      Witnesses have testified that Jim Jones (like a few other professional faith-healers) used shills part of the time....
  2. An accomplice at a confidence trick during an auction or gambling game.
    • 1994, Cormac McCarthy, The Crossing,
      The pitchman swept his cane in a slow acceleration over the heads of the crowd and then suddenly pointed the silver cap toward Billy and the shill.
  3. (gambling) A house player in a casino.
Synonyms Translations
  • French: homme de paille, prête-nom
  • German: Anreißer, Anreisser (Swiss German), Anreißerin, Anreisserin (Swiss German)
  • Italian: uomo di paglia, prestanome
  • Russian: подставное лицо́
  • Spanish: testaferro, hombre de paja
Translations Verb

shill (shills, present participle shilling; past and past participle shilled)

  1. (pejorative) To promote or endorse in return for payment, especially dishonestly.
    • 1996, Carl Sagan, The Demon-Haunted World,
      Today there are even commercials in which real scientists, some of considerable distinction, shill for corporations. They teach that scientists too will lie for money. As Tom Paine warned, inuring us to lies lays the groundwork for many other evils.
  2. To put under cover; to sheal.
  3. (UK, obsolete, dialect) To shell#Verb|shell.
Related terms Translations Translations

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