shill

<font size="-1" face="arial, helvetica"> <p> <strong> <font color="#000066">Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for October 11, 2020 is:</font> </strong> </p> <p> <strong>shill</strong> &#149; \SHIL\&nbsp; &#149; <em>verb</em><br /> <p><strong>1 :</strong> to act as a decoy especially for a gambler or pitchman</p> <p><strong>2 :</strong> to act as a spokesperson or promoter</p> </p> <p> <strong>Examples:</strong><br /> <p>After his retirement from professional football, the quarterback <em>shilled</em> for a brand of charcoal briquettes in a popular series of commercials.</p> <p>"Reporter Jessica Wohl looked at the actors, musicians, athletes and comedians who've <em>shilled</em> for multiple brands between 2010 and 2019, largely drawing on Ad Age's archives and coverage. The stars had to have hawked various products in numerous ads and campaigns, as opposed to occasional big-league Super Bowl commercials." — <a href="https://www.marketwatch.com/story/these-are-13-of-the-most-overused-celebrities-in-advertising-2019-12-19">Nicole Lyn Pesce, <em>Market Watch</em>, 19 Dec. 2019</a></p> </p> <p> <strong>Did you know?</strong><br /> <p>Someone who shills today may very well be employed to simply extol the wonders of legitimate products. But in the early 1900s, when the first uses of the verb <em>shill</em> were documented, it was more likely that anyone hired to shill was trying to con you into parting with some cash. Practitioners called <em><a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/shill#h2">shills</a></em> did everything from faking big wins at casinos (to promote gambling) to pretending to buy tickets (to encourage people to see certain shows). <em>Shill</em> is thought to be a shortened form of <em>shillaber,</em> but etymologists have found no definitive evidence of where that longer term originated.</p> <br /><br /> </p> </font>