badger game

noun

an extortion scheme in which a woman places a man in a compromising position and then victimizes him by demanding money when her male accomplice, pretending to be an outraged husband or relative, enters and threatens violence, scandal, etc.

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Word History and Origins

First recorded in 1895–1900

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Idioms and Phrases

An extortion scheme in which a man is lured into a compromising position, usually by a woman, and then is “discovered” and blackmailed by her associate. For example, The prosecutor accused the couple of playing the badger game . The term alludes to the much older sport of badger-baiting, in which a live badger was trapped and put inside a box and dogs were set on it to drag it out. The woman in the scheme is the “badger.” [Late 1800s]

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Example Sentences

But he had preferred to speculate in blackmail and play the badger-game with his wife as an unwitting accomplice.

From Project Gutenberg

But the guy they double-crossed in New York, or worked the badger game on, or something like that, got on their trail.

From Project Gutenberg

A month ago she was again in trouble with the police—caught playing the badger game.

From Project Gutenberg

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

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