four-waller
n.— «In Vegas parlance, Wallace is a “four-waller,” the term used when an entertainer pays for his or her stage time. It’s an increasingly common arrangement that guarantees the hotel or casino rent and puts much of the marketing and production onus on the performer, unlike the more traditional contract in which the performer receives a set fee. For the entertainer—often an aging star or perhaps one who never made the showbiz A-list—four-walling is a huge roll of the dice, with odds of success that make the craps tables look inviting.» —“Playing Out of Pocket” by Sam Howe Verhovek Los Angeles Times Mar. 20, 2006. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
Further reading
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