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.
In many ways, “I Can’t Stop” represents a culmination of Hanawalt’s shtick for truth-telling via colorful anthropomorphized characters.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 21, 2026
Ferrell’s shtick on social media is accepting challenges from his followers and then taping himself attempting to do what they propose.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 29, 2026
Suozzi and Moolenaar kicked off the 2020 NPB with a running shtick — juxtaposing their backgrounds.
From Salon ● May 29, 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
So de veller cot elegded pefore de beople foundt On vhitch site of der coose it vas he shtick so awful soundt.
From The Breitmann Ballads by Charles Godfrey Leland
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
