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shanghai

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shang⋅hai

[shang-hahy, shang-hahy]
–verb (used with object), -haied, -hai⋅ing. Nautical.
to enroll or obtain (a sailor) for the crew of a ship by unscrupulous means, as by force or the use of liquor or drugs.

Origin:
1855–60; after Shanghai

Shang⋅hai

[shang-hahy; Chin. shahng-hahy]
–noun
1. Pinyin, Wade-Giles. a seaport and municipality in E China, near the mouth of the Chang Jiang. 10,820,000.
2. a type of long-legged chicken believed to be of Asian origin.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To shanghai
Cochin China 2  
n.  A large domestic fowl of a breed developed in Asia, having thickly feathered legs. Also called Cochin2, Shanghai2.

[After Cochin China1.]
shang·hai   (shāng-hī', shāng'hī')   
tr.v.   shang·haied, shang·hai·ing, shang·hais
  1. To kidnap (a man) for compulsory service aboard a ship, especially after drugging him.

  2. To induce or compel (someone) to do something, especially by fraud or force: We were shanghaied into buying worthless securities.


[After Shanghai1, from the former custom of kidnapping sailors to man ships going to China.]
shang·hai'er n.
Shang·hai 1   (shāng-hī', shäng'-)   
A city of eastern China at the mouth of the Chang Jiang (Yangtze River) southeast of Nanjing. The largest city in the country, Shanghai was opened to foreign trade by the Treaty of Nanking (1842) and quickly prospered. France, Great Britain, and the United States all held large concessions in the city until the early 20th century. Shanghai is located in Jiangsu province but is administered as a separate governmental unit. Population: 9,830,000.
Shang·hai 2   (shāng-hī')   
n.  See Cochin China2.

[After Shanghai1.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Cultural Dictionary

Shanghai

Largest city in China, located in the eastern part of the country on the Pacific Ocean.

Note: Shanghai is the most populous city in Asia.
Note: It is one of the world's great seaports.
Note: Opened to foreign trade by the Treaty of Nanking in 1842, Shanghai became a treaty port administered by Britain, the United States, and France until World War II.
The American Heritage® New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

shanghai 
1854, Amer.Eng., "to drug a man unconscious and ship him as a sailor," from the practice of kidnapping to fill the crews of ships making extended voyages, such as to the Chinese seaport of Shanghai.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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