pachinko

[ puh-ching-koh ]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

noun

a Japanese pinball game played on a vertical machine in which slots struck by the player's ball release other balls that in turn are exchanged for noncash prizes.

pachinko

/ pəˈtʃɪŋkəʊ /

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1950–55; < Japanese, equivalent to pachin click! (imitative) + -ko diminutive suffix

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C20: possibly from Japanese pachin, imitative of the sound of a ball being fired by a trigger

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Some citizens kill their times in local Japanese gambling shops, called pachinko parlors, or drinking heavily.

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