Etymologically
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shenanigan

This is the current revision of this entry, as edited by bogdan on 15 October 2026 at 00:20. This address is a permanent link to this version.
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Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ʃɪˈnænɪɡ(ə)n/ (UK); /ʃəˈnænəɡən/ (US)[1]

Etymology

The origin is uncertain.[2][3][4][5][6] Suggested sources include Spanish chanada, short for charranada “trick, deceit”,[3][4] or, less likely, German peddlers' slang Schenigelei “work, craft”.[3][4] Another guess is Irish sionnach “fox”.[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

Nonsense, trickery or humbug, in the phrase come the shenanigan (1854 in Etymonline; 1855 in Barnhart, Merriam-Webster and the OED).[4][3][5][7]

Semantic evolution

The earliest uses are from California, in San Francisco and the Sierra Nevada.[4] The word meant trickery or deceit,[7][2] and, usually in the plural, mischievous or high-spirited behaviour.[2][5][6]

Timeline

  • 1854 – come the shenanigan, in California.[4]
  • 1855 – trickery, nonsense.[7][3][5]

Modern meaning

Noun

  1. A deceitful trick or underhand act.
  2. (usually plural) Mischievous or high-spirited behaviour; pranks.
  3. (usually plural) Questionable or dishonest conduct.

References

  1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
  3. ^ a b c d e Barnhart, Robert K., ed. (1995), The Barnhart Concise Dictionary of Etymology, New York: HarperCollins
  4. ^ a b c d e f g Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  5. ^ a b c d Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  6. ^ a b Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary (1999), 2nd ed., New York: Random House
  7. ^ a b c Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press