shill
pronunciation
How to pronounce shill in British English:
UK [ʃɪl]
How to pronounce shill in American English:
US [ʃɪl]
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- Noun:
- a decoy who acts as an enthusiastic customer in order to stimulate the participation of others
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- Verb:
- act as a shill
Word Origin
- shill (n.)
- "one who acts as a decoy for a gambler, auctioneer, etc.," 1916, 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: Shilled; shilling.
Example
- 1. Some new advertising tech companies are even enlisting social-network users to shill for advertisers .
- 2. As a state senator and later as governor of iowa , mr. vilsack promoted ethanol production and agricultural biotech , leading one consumer group to label him a " shill " for monsanto .
- 3. Some readers have occasionally taken me to be a shill for china or a proselytizer for the expat life .
- 4. But rather than personal scandals , chan 's difficulties stem from his willingness to shill just about anything , including well-known global brands ( canon cameras ) , obscure regional products ( sinian sticky rice balls ) and so much more ( hong kong tourism ) .