ringer
UK: ˈrɪŋə | US: ˈrɪŋər
n. 1. A person or thing that rings (e.g., a bell ringer).
n. 2. A duplicate or substitute, especially one fraudulently passed off as genuine (e.g., a horse ringer in a race).
n. 3. (Slang) A highly skilled or outstanding person in a field (e.g., "He's a ringer at chess").
The word "ringer" originates from the verb "ring," which traces back to Old English hringan, meaning "to sound a bell." The suffix "-er" is an agentive suffix in English, used to denote someone or something performing an action (e.g., "singer," "writer"). Over time, "ringer" evolved metaphorically to describe a fraudulent substitute (sense 2), likely from the idea of "ringing in" a fake, and later slang extended it to mean an exceptional person (sense 3).
The church ringer tolled the bell at noon.
The racehorse was a ringer, secretly replaced to ensure victory.
She’s a real ringer when it comes to solving puzzles.
The team brought in a ringer for the championship game.
The antique vase turned out to be a ringer—a clever imitation.