• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to footer
Zippy Facts Logo

Zippy Facts

Interesting Random Facts

  • Animals
  • Culture
  • Firsts
  • Food
  • Geography
  • Health
  • History
  • Inventions
  • Language
  • Mythology
  • Odds
  • People
  • Religion
  • Science
  • Space
  • Universe
  • World
You are here: Home / Language / Where does the word “Shenanigan” come from and What does Shenanigans mean in German?

Where does the word “Shenanigan” come from and What does Shenanigans mean in German?

March 27, 2020 by Karen Hill

Many sources have been suggested for the Americanism “Shenanigan”, which seems to have been originated in California during or soon after the Gold Rush.

The first recorded use was in that state in 1855.

As the word has the sense of “trickery, deceit,” most possible sources suggested have had similar meanings, such as the Spanish chanada, “a trick,” and the Irish sionnachuighim, “I play tricks.”

However, despite the fact that, as Mencken remarks, the word has “an Irish smack,” a very strong case is made by Spitzer (American Speech, Vol. 23, 1948 p. 210) for a derivation from the German schinnagel, “the nail holding the rim to the wheel,” through the cant word schinageln, “to work,” and Schenigelei, “a trick.”

Related Facts

  • Where does the term "Cousin-German" come from and What does Cousin German mean?
  • Where does the term "German Silver" come from and What does German Silver mean?
  • Where Did the Word Dollar Come From and What Does the the Word Dollar Mean in German?
  • How Did the Word "Tip" Originate and What Does the Word For a Gratuity Mean In German?
  • Where Does the Word Kindergarten Come From and What Does Kindergarten Mean In German?
  • Where does the word "nickel" come from and What does nickel mean in German?

Filed Under: Language

About Karen Hill

Karen Hill is a freelance writer, editor, and columnist. Born in New York, her work has appeared in the Examiner, Yahoo News, Buzzfeed, among others.

Previous Post: « Where does the word “Knickerbockers” originate and What does Knickerbockers mean?
Next Post: How did the Arrowroot get its name and Where does the word Arrowroot come from? »

Footer

Follow

  • Facebook
  • Flickr
  • GitHub
  • Google+
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Medium
  • Pinterest
  • StumbleUpon
  • Tumblr
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Categories

Accomplishments Animals Culture Firsts Food Geography Health History Inventions Language Mythology Odds People Religion Science Space Universe World Your Body

About

Zippy Facts empowers the world by serving educational content that is accessible to everyone.

A tribute to growing up, zippyfacts.com showcases interesting and unusual facts about the world.

Our mission is to use technology to facilitate knowledge transfer and sharing.

Copyright © 2021 Zippy Facts

  • About Us
  • Contact
  • Privacy Policy