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definitions

shenanigan

[ shuh-nan-i-guh n ]
/ ʃəˈnæn ɪ gən /
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SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR shenanigan ON THESAURUS.COM

noun Informal.

Usually shenanigans.
  1. mischief; prankishness: Halloween shenanigans.
  2. deceit; trickery.
a mischievous or deceitful trick, practice, etc.

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RELATED WORDS

horseplay, gag, escapade, antic, misbehavior, transgression, wrongdoing, misconduct, prank, caper, shine, play, frolic, shenanigans, joke, hotfoot, fancy, levity, trick, whim

Nearby words

  1. shemozzle,
  2. shen congwen,
  3. shenandoah,
  4. shenandoah national park,
  5. shenandoah valley,
  6. shenanigans,
  7. shend,
  8. shensi,
  9. shenstone,
  10. shenstone, william

Origin of shenanigan

An Americanism dating back to 1850–55; of obscure origin
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for shenanigan

  • He was a bold man who attempted any shenanigan with Mart Haney, and the games of his halls were reported honest.

    Money Magic|Hamlin Garland

  • I'll darn soon show ye what's the matter with me, you come any o' your shenanigan around here.

    Back Home|Eugene Wood
British Dictionary definitions for shenanigan

shenanigan

/ (ʃɪˈnænɪɡən) /

noun informal

(usually plural) roguishness; mischief
an act of treachery; deception

Word Origin for shenanigan

C19: of unknown origin
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
Word Origin and History for shenanigan

shenanigan

n.

1855, of uncertain origin. Earliest records of it are in San Francisco and Sacramento, California, U.S. Suggestions include Spanish chanada, a shortened form of charranada "trick, deceit;" or, less likely, German Schenigelei, peddler's argot for "work, craft," or the related German slang verb schinäglen. Another guess centers on Irish sionnach "fox."

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper