shill

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• /ʃɪl/
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• US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
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• Australia: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
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• homophone: she'll (in some accents)
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• rhymes with -ɪl
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• CMU ARPABET: SH IH1 L Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
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Unexplained.

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 it originates in the surname Shilaber or Shillibeer, especially George Shillibeer, but proposed origins are dubious as the word is first attested in North America in the 20th century, while proposed models are 19th century British. American humorist Benjamin Penhallow Shillaber (1814–1890) was known to write under the name Mrs. Ruth Partington to lend credibility to some of his ideas. This is one more possible origin of the word, although there is no specific evidence supporting a connection.

97 source translations are retained for this English entry.

• Catalan: testaferro — a person paid to endorse a product favourably
• Chinese Cantonese: 打手 (daa2 sau2) — a person paid to endorse a product favourably
• Chinese Mandarin: 托兒 /托儿 (tuōr) — a person paid to endorse a product favourably
• Chinese Mandarin: 水軍 /水军 (shuǐjūn) — a person paid to endorse a product favourably
• Finnish: maksettu apuri — a person paid to endorse a product favourably
• French: homme de paille — a person paid to endorse a product favourably
• French: prête-nom — a person paid to endorse a product favourably
• German: Anreißer — a person paid to endorse a product favourably
• German: Anreißerin — a person paid to endorse a product favourably
• Greek: αβανταδόρος (avantadóros) — a person paid to endorse a product favourably
• Icelandic: leppur — a person paid to endorse a product favourably
• Italian: uomo di paglia — a person paid to endorse a product favourably
• Italian: prestanome — a person paid to endorse a product favourably
• Japanese: サクラ (sakura) — a person paid to endorse a product favourably
• Polish: słup — a person paid to endorse a product favourably
• Russian: подставно́е лицо́ (podstavnóje licó) — a person paid to endorse a product favourably
• Russian: подсадна́я у́тка (podsadnája útka) — a person paid to endorse a product favourably
• Spanish: testaferro — a person paid to endorse a product favourably
• Spanish: hombre de paja — a person paid to endorse a product favourably
• Spanish: calanchín — a person paid to endorse a product favourably
• Spanish: testaférrea — a person paid to endorse a product favourably
• Spanish: entruchón — a person paid to endorse a product favourably
• Swedish: lockfågel — a person paid to endorse a product favourably
• Thai: หน้าม้า (nâa-máa) — a person paid to endorse a product favourably
• Catalan: trafica — an accomplice at a confidence trick
• Finnish: vedättäjä — an accomplice at a confidence trick
• French: compère — an accomplice at a confidence trick
• French: commère — an accomplice at a confidence trick
• French: comparse — an accomplice at a confidence trick
• French: complice — an accomplice at a confidence trick
• German: Lockvogel — an accomplice at a confidence trick
• German: Gehilfe des Schaustellers — an accomplice at a confidence trick
• German: Gehilfe des Hausierers — an accomplice at a confidence trick
• German: Gehilfin des Schaustellers — an accomplice at a confidence trick
• German: Gehilfin des Hausierers — an accomplice at a confidence trick
• Hungarian: szélhámos segítője/segítőtársa — an accomplice at a confidence trick
• Italian: compare — an accomplice at a confidence trick
• Italian: comparsa — an accomplice at a confidence trick
• Russian: соо́бщник (soóbščnik) — an accomplice at a confidence trick
• Russian: соуча́стник (součástnik) — an accomplice at a confidence trick
• Spanish: compinche — an accomplice at a confidence trick
• Spanish: palero — an accomplice at a confidence trick
• Spanish: cómplice — an accomplice at a confidence trick
• Spanish: entruchón — an accomplice at a confidence trick
• Thai: หน้าม้า (nâa-máa) — an accomplice at a confidence trick
• Finnish: talonpelaaja — (gambling) a house player in a casino
• Catalan: traficar — to promote or endorse in return for payment
• Catalan: fer tripijocs — to promote or endorse in return for payment
• Catalan: fer trafiques — to promote or endorse in return for payment
• Catalan: prevaricar — to promote or endorse in return for payment
• Catalan: embrollar — to promote or endorse in return for payment
• Finnish: mainostaa — to promote or endorse in return for payment
• Finnish: tyrkyttää — to promote or endorse in return for payment
• Finnish: tuputtaa — to promote or endorse in return for payment
• French: prévariquer — to promote or endorse in return for payment
• French: trafiquer — to promote or endorse in return for payment
• French: magouiller — to promote or endorse in return for payment
• French: tripoter — to promote or endorse in return for payment
• French: faire l'homme de paille — to promote or endorse in return for payment
• German: Ware anpreisen — to promote or endorse in return for payment
• Italian: prevaricare — to promote or endorse in return for payment
• Italian: trafficare — to promote or endorse in return for payment
• Italian: brogliare — to promote or endorse in return for payment
• Russian: впа́ривать (vpárivatʹ) — to promote or endorse in return for payment
• Russian: впа́рить (vpáritʹ) — to promote or endorse in return for payment
• Russian: втю́хивать (vtjúxivatʹ) — to promote or endorse in return for payment
• Russian: втю́хать (vtjúxatʹ) — to promote or endorse in return for payment
• Spanish: prevaricar — to promote or endorse in return for payment
• Spanish: andar en chanchullos — to promote or endorse in return for payment
• Spanish: trapichear — to promote or endorse in return for payment
• Spanish: trapisondear — to promote or endorse in return for payment
• Spanish: embaucar — to promote or endorse in return for payment
• Spanish: embabucar — to promote or endorse in return for payment
• Spanish: entruchar — to promote or endorse in return for payment
• Catalan: encobrir — to put under cover, to sheal
• Catalan: cobrir — to put under cover, to sheal
• Catalan: tapar — to put under cover, to sheal
• Catalan: amagar — to put under cover, to sheal
• Catalan: ocultar — to put under cover, to sheal
• Catalan: celar — to put under cover, to sheal
• Finnish: peittää — to put under cover, to sheal
• French: cacher — to put under cover, to sheal
• French: couvrir — to put under cover, to sheal
• French: occulter — to put under cover, to sheal
• French: enterrer — to put under cover, to sheal
• French: passer sous silence — to put under cover, to sheal
• French: taire — to put under cover, to sheal
• French: celer — to put under cover, to sheal
• French: dissimuler — to put under cover, to sheal
• French: étouffer — to put under cover, to sheal
• French: mettre sous le boisseau — to put under cover, to sheal
• Spanish: tapar — to put under cover, to sheal
• Spanish: encubrir — to put under cover, to sheal
• Spanish: ocultar — to put under cover, to sheal
• Spanish: celar — to put under cover, to sheal
• Spanish: disimular — to put under cover, to sheal
• Spanish: enterrar — to put under cover, to sheal