[bucket shop] n (1875) 1: a saloon in which liquor was formerly sold from or dispensed in open containers (as buckets or pitchers)
2. a: a gambling establishment that formerly used market fluctuations (as in securities or commodities) as a basis for gaming b: a dishonest brokerage firm; esp: one that formerly failed to execute customers' margin orders in expectation of making a profit from market fluctuations adverse to the customers' interests