"Rube" 1846?

[Michael Quinion]

Wilson Gray wrote:

> What's it mean to be "playing the thimble rig, commonly called the
> little Joker"?

Thimble rig is better known in North America, I believe, as the shell
game, perhaps because it was played using half walnut shells. British
thimbleriggers traditionally used household thimbles.

--
Michael Quinion
Editor, World Wide Words
E-mail: <wordseditor at worldwidewords.org>
Web: <http://www.worldwidewords.org/>