shenanigan
shenanigans
Ever been ripped off at three card monte or some other con? Well, you're the victim of a shenanigan, a clever form of deception, usually designed to part the unwary from their money.
Not all shenanigans are financially motivated; an equally popular meaning is simply high spirits or boisterous behavior that might upset or annoy others, though usually not with any serious intent. It seems to be a word frequently applied to the Irish, with their established love of the high-spirited and artful ploy, and in fact may well come from the ancient Irish word sionnach, meaning "fox" — a traditionally sly beast.
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the use of tricks to deceive someone (usually to extract money from them)
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types:
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dupery, fraud, fraudulence, hoax, humbug, put-on
something intended to deceive; deliberate trickery intended to gain an advantage
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jugglery
artful trickery designed to achieve an end
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goldbrick
anything that is supposed to be valuable but turns out to be worthless
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type of:
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deceit, deception, dissembling, dissimulation
the act of deceiving
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dupery, fraud, fraudulence, hoax, humbug, put-on
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reckless or malicious behavior that causes discomfort or annoyance in others
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synonyms:
devilment, devilry, deviltry, mischief, mischief-making, mischievousness, rascality, roguery, roguishness
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types:
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blaze, hell
noisy and unrestrained mischief
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monkey business
mischievous or deceitful behavior
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hooliganism, malicious mischief, vandalism
willful wanton and malicious destruction of the property of others
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type of:
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misbehavior, misbehaviour, misdeed
improper or wicked or immoral behavior
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blaze, hell
Vocabulary lists containing shenanigan
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