cumshaw

[ kuhm-shaw ]

/ ˈkʌm ʃɔ /

noun

a present; gratuity; tip.

Nearby words

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. 2019

Examples from the Web for cumshaw

It was the first rational word since I had begun to dig, and it acted on Cumshaw like a douche of cold water.
The Lost Valley|J. M. Walsh
"I'll remember that," Moira said, and she favored Cumshaw with a little smile of gratitude.
The Lost Valley|J. M. Walsh
Perhaps he fancied that some similar plan to his own was evolving in Cumshaw's brain.
The Lost Valley|J. M. Walsh
Just as they entered the hut Cumshaw paused for a moment and ran his eye over the scene.
The Lost Valley|J. M. Walsh

"It's out of the question getting them out the way we got them in," Cumshaw said.
The Lost Valley|J. M. Walsh

British Dictionary definitions for cumshaw

cumshaw

/ (ˈkʌmʃɔː) /

noun

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

Word Origin for cumshaw

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