a shell game

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a shell game (American)

a method of deceiving or cheating someone, by moving things from one place to another in order to hide what you are doing

Usage notes: A shell game is a game in which someone must guess which of three shells a ball or pea (= a small, round, green vegetable) is placed under when they are moved quickly around.

The thieves played a shell game with the police, constantly shifting the stolen goods. He owns many small businesses in different states as part of a shell game to save on taxes.

See also: game, shell

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DeMartino told her colleagues after recounting a telephone call from a constituent saying the gloomy projections of the past several weeks were just a shell game. Last-minute state aid staves off deepest cuts by Telegram & Gazette (Worcester, MA) State of Maine, the justices said differentiating between money raised by the state and money raised by a municipality would be "to invite a shell game with public monies. Maine Court bars town funds for religious schooling by Church & State Even more disturbing, however, is the Bush administration's tactical decision to play a shell game by concentrating its efforts in the global environment by focusing on HIV/AIDS. U.S. efforts on global HIV/AIDS misguided by Smith, William / The Nation's Health			a rude awakening a rule of thumb a rum do a run for money a running battle a rush of blood a sacred cow a sad state of affairs a safe bet a safe pair of hands a safety net a safety valve a saving grace a scandal sheet a scaredy-cat a scarlet woman a sea change a second-class citizen a self-made man a seven-day wonder a sex kitten a sex object a shadow of former self a shaggy dog story a shelf life a shell game a shirt-lifter a shit-eating grin a shit-stirrer a shoo-in a short fuse a short sharp shock a short-arse a shot across the bow a shot in the arm a shot in the dark a shotgun wedding a shoulder to cry on a shouting match a show-stopper a shrinking violet a siege mentality a sight for sore eyes a sign of the times a significant other a sin tax a sine qua non a sinking feeling a sinking ship a sitting duck a skeleton in the/ closet			a sense of direction a sense of direction a sense of direction a sense of direction A Sentence to Silence A Sequence of Ghosts A Series of Bearings A Series of Unexpected Escapes A Series of Unfortunate Events A Service for Self-Employment, Training, and Support a seven-day wonder A Severity Characterization of Trauma a sex kitten a sex object a shade a shade a shade A Shade Better Inc a shadow of former self a shadow of itself a shaggy dog story A share A Shared Initiative, Inc. A Shares A Sharing of Knowledge and Experience A Sharp A sheet in the wind a shelf life A Shell a shell game A ship's caliber A ship's husband A Shirt a shirt-lifter a shit-eating grin a shit-stirrer a shoo-in A short cut a short fuse A Short History of Nearly Everything a short sharp shock a short temper a short-arse A Shortcut to Justice A Shortcut to Justice A Shortcut to Justice a shot across the bow a shot across the bows a shot across the bows a shot across the bows a shot across the bows a shot at A Shot At Love a shot at someone A Shot in the Arm A Shot in the Dark A Shot in the Dark A Shot in the Dark A Shot in the Dark a shotgun marriage

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