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shill

Pronunciation: /ʃɪl/

The English word “shill” has 7 meanings listed here.

noun

  1. A person paid to endorse a product while pretending to be impartial.
  2. Any person enthusiastically endorsing a product; especially, one who is getting paid for the endorsement.
  3. An accomplice at a confidence trick during an auction or gambling game, such as an accomplice of the seller who bids to drive up the price.
  4. A house player in a casino.

verb

  1. To promote or endorse in return for payment, especially dishonestly; sometimes extended sarcastically even to those not paid but strongly biased in favor.
  2. To put under cover; to sheal.
  3. To shell.

Etymology

Unknown; attested as verb 1914, as noun 1916. Perhaps an abbreviation of shillaber, attested 1913. The word entered English via carny, originally denoting a carnival worker who pretends to be a member of the audience in an attempt to elicit interest in an attraction. Speculatively an extended form of German Schieber (“black marketeer, profiteer”) via *shi-la-ber. There are some suggestions that…

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