Whats the origin of the common phrase I call shenanigans? Consider them all guilty (of ‘shenanigan’) until they are proved innocent Which is a somewhat more verbose way of calling shenanigans And even further back, the San Francisco daily newspaper Spirit of Age wrote the following in their 30 April 1856 issue: These facts indicate that there is some shenanegan [sic] going on
etymology - Where do shenanigans come from? - English Language . . . Here's a second 1855 reference: to a "Shananigan ditch" dug in gold mining country in California in 1855 "On the first day of June, 1855, the defendants constructed two ditches, called respectively Rasin and Shenanagan Ditches, draining the waters of Todd's Valley Ravine, about one-half mile above the head of plaintiffs' ditch, and thereby diverting and depriving the plaintiffs of the waters
Is this a shenanigan? - English Language Usage Stack Exchange Shenanigan is defined as "a devious trick used especially for an underhand purpose " This seems to imply the person is conniving, whereas your situation seems to be a blatant lie, lacking the element of mischievousness
How common is the term boondoggle? And what is its origin? @Frank Research requirements do not increase proportionally to rep count Both the OED and Etymonline, the two standard online works for etymology, have ‘origin unknown’ for both boondoggle and dongle (OED only; Etymonline doesn’t have that one at all)
expressions - English Language Usage Stack Exchange shenanigan a A playful or mischievous act; a prank b Mischief; prankishness Often used in the plural reckless or malicious behavior that causes discomfort or annoyance in others; A person who performs shenanigans Apparently, the term shenanigans in the US is considered slang, and the phrase “call shenanigans” is used in some regions
St Patricks Day related phrase [closed] - English Language Usage . . . 1928 Sat Evening Post 10 Mar 11 2 The renunciation of Mr Coolidge was a distinct disappointment to the great mass of the Republican Party, and this left the way open for some astute shenanigan in various states 1930 ‘S S Van Dine’ Scarab Murder Case xv 212 There's too much shenanigan going on around here to suit me I want action
etymology - What is the origin of cattywampus - English Language . . . Bartlett in 1848 seem to think that catawampus illustrates a western U S tendency to invent to multisyllable nonsense words (like the later hornswoggle, skullduggery, shenanigan, and slang-whanger) The catamount connection emerges in DeVere 24 years later, but his confidence doesn't so much establish the validity of the connection as
The -igan ending - English Language Usage Stack Exchange Stack Exchange Network Stack Exchange network consists of 183 Q A communities including Stack Overflow, the largest, most trusted online community for developers to learn, share their knowledge, and build their careers