A-Z Database
Some people might remember this as the name of the wizard Shazam who bestowed upon Billy Batson, a radio news reporter, the magical power to turn into...
To feel sheepish or to act sheepishly is to feel or act awkwardly in a shy, embarrassed, out of countenance or diffident manner. This usage dates from...
A sheet anchor is the largest and heaviest anchor carried by ships, especially sailing ships, and was used in an emergency, sometimes as a second or f...
Male Australian slang for a woman or girl dates from c. 1830. It is not derived, as many suppose, from Sheila as an Irish common or generic name for a...
Shell out means to disburse, pay out and somewhat surprisingly is not slang. It is a colloquialism from the late 18th/early 19th century that derives...
Mainly North American and Australian slang for an overwhelming defeat dates from the late 19th century. It derives from Shellac a type of wood varnish...
A cryptic, secretive jargon used by tinkers, gipsies etc comprised partly of Irish, Gaelic or Romany words disguised by inversion or arbitrary alterat...
This is an expression meaning a state of chaos and utter confusion. It is thought to have originated in London’s East End in the late 19th century. It...
Deceit, mischief or trickery an Americanism that dates from c.1850. Many different theories abound as to its origin, ranging from Spanish to Irish Gae...
Originally, sherbet was a cooling drink made from fruit juice and water and dates from the early 1600s. The word comes from Turkish or Arabic roots wh...
Rhyming slang for both yank and wank, Sherman tank/yank/wank dates from WWII. See also J Arthur Rank.
see Move/shift the goalposts
The word shifty dates from the late 16th century when it meant full of moves, expedients or changes. It did not have the derogatory meaning of sly or...
To vacillate or display indecision dates from the late 17th/early 18th century and derives from a fanciful reduplication of ‘shall I?’
A shindig is a noisy dance party, an Americanism that dates from the late 19th century. The origin is obscure. Some source maintain it derives from an...