shill

shill
1. noun /ʃɪl/
a) A person paid to endorse a product favourably, while pretending to be impartial.

Witnesses have testified that Jim Jones (like a few other professional faith-healers) used shills part of the time....

b) An accomplice at a confidence trick during an auction or gambling game.

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.

2. verb /ʃɪl/
a) To promote or endorse in return for payment, especially dishonestly.

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.

b) To put under cover; to sheal.
See Also: sheep-dip

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Look at other dictionaries:

  • Shill — Shill, v. t. [Cf. {Sheal}.] To put under cover; to sheal. [Prov.ng.] Brockett. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Shill — Shill, v. t. To shell. [Obs. or Prov. Eng.] [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • shill — [ ʃıl ] noun count AMERICAN someone who pretends to be interested in something in order to persuade other people to buy it or do it ╾ shill [ ʃıl ] verb intransitive …   Usage of the words and phrases in modern English

  • shill — [shil] n. [contr. < shillaber < ?] Slang 1. the confederate of a gambler, pitchman, auctioneer, etc. who pretends to buy, bet, or bid so as to lure onlookers into participating 2. a person who works energetically to sell or promote… …   English World dictionary

  • shill — (n.) 1916, one who acts as a decoy for a gambler, auctioneer, etc. (probably originally circus or carnival argot), probably a shortened form of shillaber (1913) with the same meaning, origin unknown. The verb is attested from 1914. Related:… …   Etymology dictionary

  • Shill — A shill is an associate of a person selling goods or services or a political group, who pretends no association to the seller/group and assumes the air of an enthusiastic customer. The intention of the shill is, using crowd psychology, to… …   Wikipedia

  • Shill — Ein Lockvogel (von engl. shill: Lockvogel, Anreißer) ist eine Person, die im Auftrag von Dienstleistern oder Produzenten im Sinne einer Interessenvertretung bestimmte Waren bewirbt, die der Konkurrenz abwertet oder andere Handlungen im Interesse… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Shill — This unusual name is Scottish, and topographical in origin. It is mainly from the border region, and derived from the Middle English word schele , equivalent to the Old Norse word skali , meaning a shed or hut, specifically a shepherd s summer… …   Surnames reference

  • shill — /shil/, Slang. n. 1. a person who poses as a customer in order to decoy others into participating, as at a gambling house, auction, confidence game, etc. 2. a person who publicizes or praises something or someone for reasons of self interest,… …   Universalium

  • shill — [[t]ʃɪl[/t]] n. 1) a person who poses as a customer in order to decoy others into participating, as at a gambling house 2) cvb a person whose praises, endorsements, etc., are motivated by self interest 3) cvb to work as a shill: to shill for a… …   From formal English to slang

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