shenanigan
- mischief; prankishness: Halloween shenanigans.
- deceit; trickery.
VIDEO FOR SHENANIGAN
Where Does The Word "Shenanigans" Come From?
We love the word "shenanigans." Just saying the word is almost as much fun as planning some shenanigans to pull on someone.
Origin of shenanigan
VOCAB BUILDER
What are shenanigans?
Shenanigans is used informally to mean either mischief or pranks, as in Steve and Matt planned the usual Halloween shenanigans of toilet-papering houses.
Shenanigans can also mean deceit or trickery, as in The company took a hard line against shenanigans like filing expenses for items never purchased.
Shenanigans is also used to mean the mischievous or underhanded trick itself, as in After being conned repeatedly by the gambler, Noah warned everyone of the gambler’s loaded dice shenanigans.
Example: We all knew that the plastic spiders were part of Warren’s usual shenanigans.
Where does shenanigans come from?
The first records of shenanigans come from about 1850. It is an Americanism of unknown origin.
The word shenanigans is often used to describe the practical jokes pulled by children and teenagers or the mischief that they get into. When used to describe the activity of adults, the word shenanigans is much more likely to mean deceit or trickery.
Because the word shenanigans is informal, when it is used in news media, it is often used to describe whimsical mischief or illegal behavior that was poorly planned or easily stopped by the police.
Did you know … ?
How is shenanigans used in real life?
Shenanigans is commonly used to describe mischief and prankish antics, as well as to illegal or unethical behavior.
Time to back up and wipe my hard drive and start all over! Hopefully Windows doesn't have some April Fool's shenanigans up it's sleeve…
— Matt Zagursky (@Sevadus) April 1, 2015
I don't believe election fraud is widespread but as a former Philly guy, you should definitely take polling place shenanigans seriously
— Patrick Ruffini (@PatrickRuffini) August 13, 2016
To our credit, England's distaste at FIFA's shenanigans usually leads to us leaving the World Cup in disgust very early on.
— John Allison 🥈 (@badmachinery) May 27, 2015
Try using shenanigans!
Which of the following words is a synonym for shenanigans?
A. theft
B. comedy
C. mischief
D. oddity