zilch
[ zilch ]
/ zɪltʃ /
noun Slang.
zero; nothing: The search came up with zilch.
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Nearby words
Origin of zilch
1965–70, Americanism; perhaps continuous with earlier zilch snafu, Mr. Zilch a character in Ballyhoo, a humor magazine first published in 1931; for sense cf. zip3
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for zilch
Zilch, what with Showtime's other steamy sex-heavy drama, The Affair, stealing its thunder.
15 Enraging Golden Globe TV Snubs and Surprises: Amy Poehler, 'Mad Men' & More|Kevin Fallon|December 11, 2014|DAILY BEASTHis conduct is boorish and intemperate; his views are anachronistic and absurd; his moral authority is zilch.
Remove a Stain on the Supreme Court by Impeaching Justice Scalia|David R. Dow|December 14, 2012|DAILY BEASTBut there is nothing—zero, zilch, nada—in the Ryan plan that demonstrates how that reduction would come to pass.
British Dictionary definitions for zilch
zilch
/ (zɪltʃ) /
noun slang
nothing
US and Canadian sport nil
Word Origin for zilch
C20: of uncertain origin
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
Word Origin and History for zilch
zilch
"nothing," 1966, from earlier sense of "meaningless speech" (1960), originally Mr. Zilch (1931), comic character in the magazine "Ballyhoo." Perhaps from U.S. college slang (early 1900s) Joe Zilsch "an insignificant person." Probably a nonsense syllable, but Zilch is an actual German surname of Slavic origin.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper