shake down

[sheyk-doun] Origin

shake·down

[sheyk-doun]
noun
1.
extortion, as by blackmail or threats of violence.
2.
a thorough search: a shakedown of prison cells to uncover hidden drugs.
3.
a bed, as of straw or blankets, spread on the floor.
4.
any makeshift bed.
5.
the act or process of shaking down.
EXPAND
6.
Also called shakedown cruise, shakedown flight. a cruise or flight intended to prepare a new vessel or aircraft for regular service by accustoming the crew to its features and peculiarities, breaking in and adjusting machinery, etc.
COLLAPSE
Also, shake-down.


Origin:
1490–1500; noun, adj. use of verb phrase shake down

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Shake down is always a great word to know.
So is interrobang. Does it mean:
a printed punctuation mark (‽), available only in some typefaces, designed to combine the question mark (?) and the exclamation point (!), indicating a mixture of query and interjection, as after a rhetorical question.
a children's mummer's parade, as on the Fourth of July, with prizes for the best costumes.
Dictionary.com Unabridged

shake

[sheyk] verb, shook, shak·en, shak·ing, noun
verb (used without object)
1.
to move or sway with short, quick, irregular vibratory movements.
2.
to tremble with emotion, cold, etc.
3.
to become dislodged and fall (usually followed by off or down): Sand shakes off easily.
4.
to move something, or its support or container, briskly to and fro or up and down, as in mixing: Shake before using.
5.
to totter; become unsteady.
EXPAND
6.
to clasp another's hand in greeting, agreement, congratulations, etc.: Let's shake and be friends again.
7.
Music. to execute a trill.
COLLAPSE
verb (used with object)
8.
to move (something or its support or container) to and fro or up and down with short, quick, forcible movements: to shake a bottle of milk.
9.
to brandish or flourish: to shake a stick at someone.
10.
to grasp (someone or something) firmly in an attempt to move or rouse by, or as by, vigorous movement to and fro: We shook the tree.
11.
to dislodge or dispense (something) by short, quick, forcible movements of its support or container: We shook nuts from the tree.
12.
to cause to sway, rock, totter, etc.: to shake the very foundations of society.
EXPAND
13.
to agitate or disturb profoundly in feeling: The experience shook him badly.
14.
to cause to doubt or waver; weaken. to shake one's self-esteem.
15.
Music. to trill (a note).
16.
to mix (dice) by rolling in the palm of the hand before they are cast.
17.
to get rid of; elude: They tried to shake their pursuers.
COLLAPSE
noun
18.
an act or instance of shaking, rocking, swaying, etc.
19.
tremulous motion.
20.
a tremor.
21.
shakes, (used with a singular verb) Informal. a state or spell of trembling, as caused by fear, fever, cold, etc. (usually preceded by the).
22.
a disturbing blow; shock.
EXPAND
23.
Informal. milk shake.
24.
the act or a manner of clasping another's hand in greeting, agreement, etc.: He has a strong shake.
25.
Informal. chance or fate; deal: a fair shake.
26.
a cast of the dice: He threw an eight on his last shake.
27.
something resulting from shaking.
28.
an earthquake.
29.
a fissure in the earth.
30.
an internal crack or fissure in timber.
31.
Music. trill1 (def. 9).
32.
an instant: I'll be with you in a shake.
33.
Carpentry. a shingle or clapboard formed by splitting a short log into a number of tapered radial sections with a hatchet.
34.
Horology. (in an escapement) the distance between the nearer corner of one pallet and the nearest tooth of the escape wheel when the other pallet arrests an escape tooth.
35.
Chiefly South Midland U.S. shaker (def. 2).
36.
a dance deriving from the twist.
37.
Slang. the dried leaves of the marijuana plant.
COLLAPSE
38.
shake down,
a.
to cause to descend by shaking; bring down.
b.
to cause to settle.
c.
to condition; test: to shake down a ship.
d.
Informal. to extort money from.
e.
Slang. to search (someone), especially to detect concealed weapons.
39.
shake off,
a.
to rid oneself of; reject.
b.
to get away from; leave behind.
c.
Baseball, Softball. (of a pitcher) to indicate rejection of (a sign by the catcher for a certain pitch) by shaking the head or motioning with the glove.
40.
shake up,
a.
to shake in order to mix or loosen.
b.
to upset; jar.
c.
to agitate mentally or physically: The threat of attack has shaken up the entire country.
41.
no great shakes, Informal. of no particular ability; unimportant; common: As opera companies go, this one is no great shakes.
42.
shake a leg, Informal.
a.
to hurry up; get a move on: You'd better shake a leg or we'll miss the first act.
b.
to dance.
43.
shake hands. hand (def. 77).
44.
shake one's head,
a.
to indicate disapproval, disagreement, negation, or uncertainty by turning one's head from one side to the other and back: I asked him if he knew the answer, but he just shook his head.
b.
to indicate approval, agreement, affirmation or acceptance by nodding one's head up and down.
45.
shake the dust from one's feet. dust (def. 25).
EXPAND
46.
two shakes (of a lamb's tail), a very short time; a moment.
COLLAPSE

Origin:
before 900; (v.) Middle English s(c)haken, Old English sceacan; cognate with Low German schacken, Old Norse skaka; (noun) derivative of the v.

shak·a·ble, shake·a·ble, adjective
re·shake, verb, re·shook, re·shak·en, re·shak·ing.
un·shak·a·ble, adjective
un·shak·a·ble·ly, adverb
un·shake·a·ble, adjective
EXPAND
un·shake·a·ble·ly, adverb
un·sha·ken, adjective
well-shak·en, adjective
COLLAPSE

shake, sheik (see synonym note at the current entry).


1. oscillate, waver. Shake, quiver, tremble, vibrate refer to an agitated movement that, in living things, is often involuntary. To shake is to agitate more or less quickly, abruptly, and often unevenly so as to disturb the poise, stability, or equilibrium of a person or thing: a pole shaking under his weight. To quiver is to exhibit a slight vibratory motion such as that resulting from disturbed or irregular (surface) tension: The surface of the pool quivered in the breeze. To tremble (used more often of a person) is to be agitated by intermittent, involuntary movements of the muscles, much like shivering and caused by fear, cold, weakness, great emotion, etc.: Even stout hearts tremble with dismay. To vibrate is to exhibit a rapid, rhythmical motion: A violin string vibrates when a bow is drawn across it. 2. shudder, shiver. 14. daunt.

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
Cite This Source Link To shake down
Collins
World English Dictionary
shake down
 
vb
1.  to fall or settle or cause to fall or settle by shaking
2.  slang (US) (tr) to extort money from, esp by blackmail or threats of violence
3.  slang (US) (tr) to search thoroughly
4.  informal chiefly (US) (tr) to submit (a vessel, etc) to a shakedown test
5.  (intr) to go to bed, esp to a makeshift bed
6.  (intr) (of a person, animal, etc) to settle down
 
n
7.  slang (US) a swindle or act of extortion
8.  slang (US) a thorough search
9.  a makeshift bed, esp of straw, blankets, etc
10.  informal chiefly (US)
 a.  a voyage to test the performance of a ship or aircraft or to familiarize the crew with their duties
 b.  (as modifier): a shakedown run

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
Etymonline
Word Origin & History

shake
c.1380, from shake (v.). As a type of instantaneous action, it is recorded from 1816. Phrase fair shake "honest deal" is attested from 1830, Amer.Eng. The shakes "nervous agitation" is from 1624. Shakeout "business upheaval" is from 1895; shake-up "reorganization" is from
EXPAND
1899. Dismissive phrase no great shakes (1816) perhaps is from dicing.
COLLAPSE
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Cite This Source
Slang Dictionary

shake (so) definition


  1. tv.
    to blackmail someone. (Underworld.) : The police chief was trying to shake down just about everybody in town.
  2. tv.
    to put pressure on someone to lend one money. : We tried to shake them down for a few hundred, but no deal.
Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
Cite This Source
American Heritage
Idioms & Phrases

shake down

  1. Extort money from, as in They had quite a racket, shaking down merchants for so-called protection. [Slang; second half of 1800s]

  2. Make a thorough search of, as in They shook down all the passengers, looking for drugs. [Slang early 1900s]

  3. Subject a new vehicle or machine to a tryout, as in We'll shake down the new model next week.

  4. Become acclimated or accustomed, to a new place, job, or the like, as in Is this your first job? You'll soon shake down. [Mid-1800s]

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
Cite This Source
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