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Synonyms

no great shakes

Idioms  

  1. Nothing out of the ordinary, mediocre, as in I'm afraid the new pitcher is no great shakes, or What I did with this decorating project was no great shakes. This term possibly alludes to the shaking of dice, which most often yields a mediocre result, but there is no evidence to support this theory. [Early 1800s]

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

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

Griff stole their desserts on multiple occasions—swiped from trays with a grin—even if the desserts in question were no great shakes; it was the principle.

From The New Yorker • Mar. 25, 2019

Reviews of the Parisian opening were mixed, partly because Rubinstein, who performed the role of the Fairy, was no great shakes as a dancer.

From New York Times • Feb. 7, 2017

Though ultimately no great shakes, the projects were proposed and illustrated with such enthusiasm that even the most hardened ten-year-old could be tricked into believing he was in for some serious fun.

From "Me Talk Pretty One Day" by David Sedaris

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.