Meaning of Shenanigan | Babel Free

Definitions

1. singular of shenanigans: a deceitful confidence trick; also, an act of mischief; a prank, a trick; an act of mischievous play, especially by children.
   countable, form-of, in-plural, informal, singular
2. Dishonest, underhanded, or unscrupulous activities or behaviour; skulduggery, trickery; also, mischievous behaviour or play; high jinks.
   dated, informal, rare, uncountable

Equivalents

Examples

“I spotted his next shenanigan—saw it coming—and so avoided being fooled.”

“He then would state some of the principles of the party; First of all he would have them know it was on the square! and why was it on the square? Why? Because it didn't intend to "come the shenanigan"—that was it!”

“Abstrusus–In your answers to correspondence last week is given a definition to which I must except: An Irish word which you write ‘shenanigan’ is defined as being synonymous with our English word ‘humbug,’ thus depriving the natives of ‘the Breast-pin of the Ocean’ of the credit of great shrewdness in the use of the word.”

“We have a host of eagle-eyed natives, who will stand by the polls, and see that no shenanigan is played.”

“A longtime friend of [Ann] Richards and co-conspirator in many a shenanigan and act of political skulduggery, she [Liz Carpenter] had decided early in the fall to act on her conviction that something important had gone out of politics.”

“One of Professor [John] Moon's most astonishing "experiments," consisted of holding a watch suspended from a short chain at arm's length, and allowing anyone in the pit to pull pistol and "blaze away" at the word "fire," whereupon the watch would most unconscionably disappear. An individual who had attended several evenings and witnessed the "experiment," suspected, in the classic language of the times, that there was something of "shenanigan" in it.”

“There are stories still told how money was used and promised, but from the best knowledge I can acquire, I think this is not true. If sharp practice was played, and "shenanigan" was used, we, to-day, looking back upon those times, cannot say that evil has come of it.”

CEFR level