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cumshaw

[kuhm-shaw]
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noun
  1. a present; gratuity; tip.

Origin of cumshaw

1810–20; < dialectal Chinese (Xiamen) kam siā, equivalent to Chinese gân xiè grateful thanks
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for cumshaw

Historical Examples

  • First, the doctor who had certified Ambassador Cumshaw's death.

    Lone Star Planet

    Henry Beam Piper and John Joseph McGuire

  • Mr. Thrombley took the call, and I asked him was Mr. Cumshaw around.

    Lone Star Planet

    Henry Beam Piper and John Joseph McGuire

  • And what other calls did you receive, prior to Mr. Cumshaw's death?

    Lone Star Planet

    Henry Beam Piper and John Joseph McGuire

  • "Present for Missy; cumshaw," says the pleasant voice, and what can you do?

    Peking Dust

    Ellen N. La Motte

  • Cumshaw was inclined to argue, but the consensus of opinion was against him.

    The Lost Valley

    J. M. Walsh

British Dictionary definitions for cumshaw

cumshaw

noun
  1. (used, esp formerly, by beggars in Chinese ports) a present or tip

Word Origin

C19: from pidgin English, from Chinese (Amoy) kam siā, from Mandarin kan hsieh grateful thanks
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012