one-armed bandit
UK /ˌwʌnɑːmd ˈbændɪt/ · US /ˌwʌnɑɹmd ˈbændɪt/ noun
Forms one-armed bandits one-arm bandit
- noun (originally US, gambling) A gaming machine having a long arm-like handle at one side that a player pulls down to make reels spin; the player wins money or tokens when certain combinations of symbols line up on these reels.
- noun Synonym of penny-in-the-slot machine.
Synonyms
Etymology
From one-armed (“having only one arm”) + bandit (“one who robs others in a lawless area, especially as part of a group; one who cheats others”), referring to the fact that the machine is operated by a single handle, and “steals” money from losing players.
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 — from the Wiktionary entry “one-armed bandit”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details