English
Etymology
Origin uncertain; perhaps an abbreviation of the Yiddish shillaber. The word originally denoted a carnival worker who pretends to be a member of the audience in an attempt to elicit interest in an attraction<br>
Pronunciation
IPA|/�ɪl/
Verb
en-verb
- To promote as a fan or customer.
- To put under cover; to sheal.
Noun
en-noun
- A person paid to endorse a product favourably, while pretending to be impartial.
- An accomplice at a confidence trick during an auction or gambling game.
Quotations
"Witnesses have testified that Jim Jones (like a few other professional faith-healers) used shills part of the time...." - Robert Anton Wilson, Prometheus Rising, 1983
"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." - Cormac McCarthy?, The Crossing, 1994
"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." - Carl Sagan, The Demon-Haunted World, 1996
Translations
trans-top|a person paid to endorse a product favourably
German: Anreisser m
trans-mid
Japanese: ��� (sakura)
trans-bottom
trans-top|an accomplice at a confidence trick
German: Lockvogel m
trans-mid
trans-bottom
ru:shill
vi:shill
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