skin game
noun
a dishonest or unscrupulous business operation, scheme, etc.
any cheating or fraudulent trick.
Origin of skin game
An Americanism dating back to 1865–70
Words nearby skin game
Example sentences from the Web for skin game
The skin-game artists and shilabers, cheaters, flimflammers, and medicine men flock to these gatherings as flies to a picnic.
David Lannarck, Midget |George S. HarneyYe tried to kill a thousand-dollar bird by a skin-game, and I'll have it out of your hide.
The Skipper and the Skipped |Holman DayAnd because grafters, shilabers, and skin-game artists follow circuses, the public thinks these are a part of it.
David Lannarck, Midget |George S. HarneyI suppose it's some parental promise she's made, or some skin-game buyer has been through here and threw a wrench in the gears.
David Lannarck, Midget |George S. Harney
British Dictionary definitions for skin game
skin game
noun
slang
a swindling trick