Ringer

Ringer is a term with several distinct meanings, all deriving from the root word ring. In sports and games, a ringer is a person who is secretly substituted for an authentic participant or who is brought into a competition to gain an unfair advantage. The ringer may be someone who already knows the contestants or is a skilled player, and the substitution is intended to mislead organizers, judges, or bettors. The usage is common in horse racing, matchmaking, and informal contests; a "ring-in" refers to the act of bringing in such a competitor.

In a broader sense, a ringer can also mean a look-alike or double—a person who closely resembles another and may be used as a decoy or substitute. A common idiom is "to be a ringer for someone," meaning to resemble that person very closely.

In technology, ringer refers to the device that signals an incoming telephone call. The ringer may be mechanical (bell) or electronic, and the term can extend to the sound it produces or to the function of the telephone line that handles such signals.

Etymology: The precise origin is uncertain, but the sense of substitution or impersonation is centuries old, with earliest uses in reference to deceit in contests. The word is now widely used in both formal and informal contexts, with different nuances in law, sports, and everyday speech.