electric dice

An old and evocative slang term for dice — the small numbered cubes used in gambling games. The name captures the deep suspicion that religious and moralist traditions held toward gambling: dice were literally the devil's tools, instruments of chance that could ruin lives and corrupt souls. The imagery of bones is doubly apt, since early dice were often carved from animal bones. Today the phrase surfaces in historical contexts, period fiction, and as a dramatic way to refer to dice in any setting.

(slang) Anything built into dice for the purpose of loading them and cheating at games.

Slang term for dice, used particularly in reference to their use in gambling. The name reflects the long-standing moral and religious condemnation of gambling — dice were the devil's tools, leading men to ruin. The phrase is archaic and colourful, most likely encountered in historical fiction or discussions of gambling culture.