Wheel and deal

[Fred Shapiro]

On Sat, 17 Feb 2007, Wilson Gray wrote:

> I'm with you, Doug. According to urban legend, the roulette wheel is
> the gambling device whose odds most favor the house. If this legend
> lies within eyesight of fact, it's unlikely that wheeler-dealer could
> have acquired its current meaning from reference to professional
> gamblers in the Old West.

Just a minor nonlinguistic point: I believe slot machines are the gambling
device whose odds most favor the house.

Fred


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