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shinny

1
[shin-ee]
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noun, plural shin·nies.
  1. a simple variety of hockey, played with a ball, block of wood, or the like, and clubs curved at one end.
  2. the club used.
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verb (used without object), shin·nied, shin·ny·ing.
  1. to play shinny.
  2. to drive the ball at shinny.
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Origin of shinny

1
First recorded in 1665–75; variant of shin ye, cry used in the game

shinny

2
[shin-ee]
verb (used without object), shin·nied, shin·ny·ing.
  1. shin1(def 5): He shinnied up the tree.
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Origin of shinny

2
1850–55, Americanism; apparently derivative of shin1; source of -y is unclear
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for shinny

bandy, hurley, hurling, shinny, shinty

Examples from the Web for shinny

Historical Examples of shinny

  • The games they enjoyed most were "Shinny" and a game played on the ice in the winter.

    Old Rail Fence Corners

    Various

  • When they had been chosen, David had to shinny up them to lop off their branches.

    David and the Phoenix

    Edward Ormondroyd

  • The beam was too massive to shinny, yet too narrow to lie inside and elbow up.

  • Strong and the boys felt that Shinny would let them know when he was ready.

  • I mean she would never 'shinny' up a straight, slivery beam.

    The Brass Bound Box

    Evelyn Raymond

Word Origin and History for shinny

v.

"to climb a rope, pole, etc.," 1888, from use of shins and ankles to do so; see shin (n.). Earlier simply shin (1829). Related: Shinnied; shinnying.

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n.

also shinney, primitive form of hockey, 1670s, perhaps from Gaelic sinteag "a bound, a leap." OED suggests origin from shin ye "the cry used in the game."

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper