elephant's tooth

1876, Charles Dickens, All the Year Round That no minute might be wasted, the gay gallants of the time generally had a dice-box and a cast of dice in their pockets. This was convenient in the extreme, as, in the intervals of racing, a main could be thrown, and when out hunting, a check was looked on with no disfavour by those who treasured every opportunity of "flirting with the elephant's tooth."