Meanings
- archaicslangA die (cube thrown in games of chance).
1 more example
1876, Charles Dickens, All the Year Round That no minute might be wasted, the gay gallants of the time generally had a dice-box and a cast of dice in their pockets. This was convenient in the extreme, as, in the intervals of racing, a main could be thrown, and when out hunting, a check was looked on with no disfavour by those who treasured every opportunity of "flirting with the elephant's tooth."
Origin
So called because originally made from ivory.
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
elephant's tooth. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/elephant's%20tooth
“elephant's tooth.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/elephant's%20tooth. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “elephant's tooth,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/elephant's%20tooth.
Source: elephant's tooth on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.