one-armed bandit

Questions

How do you pronounce one-armed bandit?

The recorded pronunciation is /ˌwʌnɑɹmd ˈbændɪt/.

What does one-armed bandit mean?

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.

Where does one-armed bandit come from?

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.

How to pronounce one-armed bandit

1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “one-armed bandit”.
2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˌwʌnɑɹmd ˈbændɪt/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
3. Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “one-armed bandit”.
4. Repeat and practice — Say “one-armed bandit” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.