shtick
Americannoun
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(especially in comic acting) a routine or piece of business inserted to gain a laugh or draw attention to oneself.
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one's special interest, talent, etc.
noun
Etymology
Origin of shtick
First recorded in 1955–60; from Yiddish shtik “pranks, whims,” literally, “piece,” from Middle High German stücke, Old High German stucki ( German Stück ); cf. stucco
Explanation
Your shtick is the particular gimmick or act you like to perform — it's your theme. After dinner parties, your shtick might be showing everyone your pet cobra. A comedian or performer often has a shtick, which becomes the trick, song, or joke that people associate with her specifically. A clown's shtick could be falling flat on his back, and a pop star's shtick might be sticking out her tongue. In Yiddish, a shtik is "an act or gimmick," or sometimes "a trick or a prank." Literally, the word means "a little piece" or "a slice," from Middle High German stücke, "piece."
Vocabulary lists containing shtick
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.
But that didn’t stop Team USA from trying out a stand-up-and-salute shtick as a collection of America’s finest players grimaced their way through the recent World Baseball Classic.
From Salon • Mar. 18, 2026
You can say his act is getting stale, the whole shtick thinning out, but only when an act is truly vivid and has truly pierced can you trace the ups and downs of its lifespan.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 15, 2026
In the first few minutes of the interview, Mailman delivers her usual shtick.
From Slate • Oct. 7, 2025
But the sharpest satire of all may be Lola herself who — spoiler! — falls for her own shtick in the end.
From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 26, 2025
To hear the Retainer one would believe that the great smoother of difficulties, stimulant to exertion, and pacificator of quarrels was the "shtick."
From Disturbed Ireland Being the Letters Written During the Winter of 1880-81. by Becker, Bernard H.
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.
