Shill Definition

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I get called a "shill" about 2-3 times a year here on BITOG. I really think this noun or intransitive verb is technically used mostly as a slang noun so I guess it can mean whatever the author wants. In the recent EAO15K used to 26K miles thread I really felt this word was used incorrectly and was just thrown out as an insult. The author did back off a bit when he saw that I was not some brainless automaton or some scared kid.

The word shill has always meant a plant or a stooge (or plan using such), a person who publicly pushes a product without disclosing that they have a close relationship with the company. And in some cases it is indeed illegal. In expanded definition by some people it can mean pushing any product by a salesperson, which is hardly illegal when fully disclosing who you are and what you represent. At best it's a fuzzy silly slang insult. If you want to throw the word "shill" in a technical discussion, please be aware that others may consider you intellectually lazy at best.
 
In the internet age, it has also been "verbed." Since there aren't humans in most websites, blogs, etc., a site that is deliberately written in such a way that it pushes a product without outright saying so, or sets up strawman arguments or questions that lead to a conclusion in favor of a product is often said to "shill" for a product.

I generally agree with Bill Watterson when he had Calvin proclaim that 'verbing weirds English,' but it does happen and sometimes it makes a lot of contextual sense.
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Calling you a shill is hilarious, Pablo. You sell Amsoil and don't make any attempt at hiding that, whereas a shill would. Then again, it's the Internet so you just have to expect the worst from people.
 
It's the ultimate cop out word. When someone calls you a shill, they are out of intellectual ammunition. You see it in the current political arena, especially with the conspiracy theorists. Don't agree with them? You're a SHILL by golly! A paid shill.
 
1) A 3 card monte "game" or one using a pea under one of 3 walnut shells is correctly called a shill game because the grifters who run the game employ accomplices who pose as passers-by who seemingly stumble upon the game, as their marks have. The accomplices are shills.
Use of the term "shell game" just shows you how words can warp.

NOTE: For warpage, remind yourself of a phrase "Gerry rigging". It was coined for the inventiveness exhibited by the Germans in the use of off-the-shelf hardware and technology.
That people commonly say "jury rigging" for the same thing is very disappointing especially when "jury rigging" is all but self explanatory.
I realize the term "Gerry", or any slang ethnic term, can be radioactive, but that's no excuse for employment of such an inaccurate rhyming word.

2) Once in an interview describing the post WWII boom in Las Vegas gambling, Rosemarie (Hollywood Squares) said she was given cash to gamble with by the managers to induce members of the public to sit down at tables. She quoted herself as saying or thinking, "I don't want to do this. I'm not a shill". Another noun.

3) In the movie "L.A. Confidential" the cops refer to the fictitious magazine "Hush-Hush" as "...that magazine (Detective) Vincennes shills for". A verb.
In that case, the detective was a cooperative source for the magazine, not a shill.

4) So, if I cover one oil filter with one of three empty Amsoil cases and shuffle them about and employ Pablo to bet on the game to induce others to gamble on it too, he'd be a shill-no question.

5) Is not the origin "shillober"? Kira
 
1. Pablo, I don't think you are a "shill" at all, because you openly declare [and pay for through site sponsorship] your status.

2. Shill has been a verb [as in "shilling" or "to shill"] for a nearly a century or more, it just fell into disuse and has been revived as a verb during our illustrious internet era.
 
Originally Posted By: Pablo
I get called a "shill" about 2-3 times a year here on BITOG.


Well, that is just unfortunate; I hope the offender got sent to a corner for a while ... .
 
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Originally Posted By: Drew99GT
It's the ultimate cop out word. When someone calls you a shill, they are out of intellectual ammunition. You see it in the current political arena, especially with the conspiracy theorists. Don't agree with them? You're a SHILL by golly! A paid shill.


Its certainly used as a cop-out. Just like "hate" is a cop-out word used to suppress all sorts of legitimate criticism and/or disagreement (eg. "You said welfare needs reform? You obviously hate the poor!"). There are countless examples of words that have been weakened by overuse and misuse.

But if used in the correct context, it is still a meaningful word. Shills and shilling didn't cease to exist just because the word got misapplied. :)
 
Pablo is a SHILL!!!







Joking, you have it properly disclosed. If someone is too dumb to realize that then I wouldn't waste much effort on them.
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Shill Oil Products, ha-ha, ... ok, only a joke bitog people like us might enjoy.

But seriously, I think we all don't like it when the truth gets trampled when a person is trying to make a buck off a product they don't really believe is that good. Pablo probably truly believes that Amsoil is a great choice, so he is not a shill. (I agree it is an excellent product.) For example, if somebody pays you to make sales pitches for Valero gasoline when you really believe Chevron gas is a better value and/or performer, then you're a paid shill for Valero, where the reader just wants the truth about how you really feel.
 
So its about honesty and openness. In this case, I doubt if Pablo is not being honest/open, so the word is used inappropriately here.
 
Originally Posted By: Drew99GT
You see it in the current political arena, especially with the conspiracy theorists. Don't agree with them? You're a SHILL by golly! A paid shill.


I recall this happening a lot in other threads. Wonder by whom?
 
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