zilch

[zilch]

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noun Slang.

zero; nothing: The search came up with zilch.

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

Related Words for zilch

zip, nothingness, blank, zero, naught, void, nada, nought, diddly-squat, zippo, insignificancy

Examples from the Web for zilch

Contemporary Examples of 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
His 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
But there is nothing—zero, zilch, nada—in the Ryan plan that demonstrates how that reduction would come to pass.
Ryan Budget Plan Sounds Good But Lacks Substance
Zachary Karabell
August 13, 2012

British Dictionary definitions for zilch

zilch

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

"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.