great shakes
IdiomsExample Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Narcissistic behavior is annoying to those witnessing it, but it doesn’t seem great shakes for the people themselves.
From Salon • Apr. 24, 2026
I know Napoli have been no great shakes in Europe but they still rarely lose at home and that was a statement win for Liam Rosenior, which should silence some of his doubters.
From BBC • Jan. 29, 2026
Its overall handling of mental illness is no great shakes either.
From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 6, 2023
Inheriting a floundering Rainbow program, he turned it around to go 18-11 his last two years with a high-flying offense, though the Hawaii defense was no great shakes.
From Seattle Times • Jan. 14, 2020
That gun was no great shakes when I bought it second-hand fifteen years ago, and it has never got any better.
From "Travels with Charley in Search of America" by John Steinbeck
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
