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shinplaster

[ shin-plas-ter, -plah-ster ]
/ ˈʃɪnˌplæs tər, -ˌplɑ stər /
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noun
a plaster for the shin or leg.
Informal. (formerly)
  1. a piece of paper money of a denomination lower than one dollar.
  2. money of little value, as that issued on insufficient security.
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Origin of shinplaster

An Americanism dating back to 1815–25; shin1 + plaster

Words nearby shinplaster

shinkin, shinleaf, Shinner, shinnery, shinny, shinplaster, shin splints, Shinto, shinty, shiny, ship
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use shinplaster in a sentence

  • If evry boddy had a fashun ov their own, it wud make az mutch trubble az a shinplaster kurrensy.

    Josh Billings, Hiz Sayings|Henry Wheeler Shaw

  • The Shinplaster was in the shape of a promissory note, made payable on demand.

    Three Years in Europe|William Wells Brown

British Dictionary definitions for shinplaster

shinplaster
/ (ˈʃɪnˌplɑːstə) /
noun
US, Canadian and Australian a promissory note on brittle paper, issued by an individual

Word Origin for shinplaster

C19: so called because of its resemblance to a sticking plaster
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
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