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.
Choi isn’t averse to shtick, if the result is an explosion of audience laughter.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 27, 2026
While no financial records are publicly available for Whatever and Atlas did not respond to Salon’s requests for an interview, he’s clearly making a mint from this repetitious shtick.
From Salon ● Nov. 21, 2025
Other parts of Mr. Carlson’s shtick fall apart on examination.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 20, 2025
According to the new musical “Working Girl,” based on Mike Nichols’ 1988 film, they mostly want to sing derivative ’80 pop songs and humor themselves with broad comic shtick.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 19, 2025
Iv I’d me shtick I’d talk to ye both, and see if your heads weren’t thick as a Tipperary boy’s, I would.
From Off to the Wilds Being the Adventures of Two Brothers by Hildibrand, Henri Théophile
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.
