Word of the Day Archive
Monday August 30, 2010
shenanigan \shuh-NAN-i-guhn\
, noun:
1. Mischief; prankishness.
2. Remarks intended to deceive; deceit. Often used in the plural.
For his latest shenanigan, he had been sentenced to three days in the boiler room.
-- Jim Holland, Escaping the Underground
But he couldn't get traction, couldn't win over the local GOP establishment, and eventually fell victim to another shenanigan.
-- Ralph Routon, "Primary's missing ingredient," Colorado Springs Indpendent, July, 2010.
Shenanigan's origin is a mystery. The first recorded usage was in California. Possible sources for the term include Spanish, German and Iroquois.
Dictionary.com Entry and Pronunciation for shenanigan