shenanigan
UK /ʃɪˈnænɪɡ(ə)n/ · US /ʃəˈnænəɡən/ noun, verb
Forms shenanigans shenaniganing shenaniganning shenaniganed shenaniganned
- noun (uncountable, dated, rare) Dishonest, underhanded, or unscrupulous activities or behaviour; skulduggery, trickery; also, mischievous behaviour or play; high jinks.
- verb (transitive) To play a deceitful confidence trick on (someone); to swindle, to trick; also, to carry out an act of mischief on (someone); to prank.
- verb (intransitive) To play a deceitful confidence trick; also, to carry out an act of mischief.
Synonyms
caper capriccio curvet gag gambade high jinks lark marlock monkeyshine practical joke prank prat reak rag trick windup mischief mischief-making mischievousness deviltry devilry devilment rascality roguery roguishness trickery chicanery chicane guile wile
Etymology
The origin of the noun is uncertain. As the earliest attestations are from California, U.S.A., in the 1850s towards the end of the California gold rush (see the quotations), it is possible that the word derives from one of the following:
* Irish sionnachuighim (“to play tricks”, literally “to play the fox”); Irishmen were among the people participating in the gold rush. (See also the 31 December 1854 quotation suggesting it is an “Irish word”.)
* Spanish chanada, a shortening of charranada (“deceit, trick”); California was colonized by the Spanish Empire in the 18th century, and many people from Latin America also took part in the gold rush.
Other suggestions are set out in the table below.
* From the East Anglian dialectal word nannicking (“playing the fool”).
* From French ces manigances (“these fraudulent schemes”).
* From German Scheinheilige (“sham holy men; sham holy actions”), scheinheilig (“hypocritical”) (18th c.)
* From Rhine Franconian schinägeln (“to work hard”), from the peddler’s argot term Schenigelei (“work”).
The verb is derived from the noun.
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 — from the Wiktionary entry “shenanigan”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details