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where did the saying getting the shaft come from

by Harmon Stroman Published 2 years ago Updated 2 years ago

Origin of To Get Shafted
This expression comes from the literal meaning of the verb shaft, which is to push something or someone with a pole. Therefore, if a person is shafted it means someone is thrusting a pole at them, which could easily harm them. The expression get shafted uses this metaphorically.

What is the meaning of the phrase'I got the shaft'?

Often one gets the shaft, meaning that they were utterly screwed over in life. Jerry always gets the shaft. Get a the shaft mug for your cat José. Getting the bad part of a bargain. It comes from the song: "She Got the Goldmine (I Got the Shaft)" written by Jerry Reed .

What does shafted mean?

Definition: For someone to be treated unfairly or badly by another person. In most cases, this phrase refers to someone experiencing unfair treatment rather than someone treating someone unfairly. It is possible to say both, however. I got shafted on the trade in of my car. You really gave him the shaft.

What does the word'shaft'mean to you?

To be exploited, cheated, or taken advantage of; to be treated unfairly. Whenever a crappy job comes around, I'm always the one who gets the shaft. Once again it's folks living in rural communities who end up getting the shaft.

Why were the dead buried in 6 foot long shafts?

To maximize use of space in many cemetaries, the dead were often buried in a 6 foot vertical shaft, rather than the usual horizontal grave position. The vertical position was considered less socially respectable.

What does the phrase get the shaft mean?

harsh or unfair treatmentUS, informal. : harsh or unfair treatment —usually used with give or get Her boss really gave her the shaft when he promoted someone less experienced instead of her. He got promoted and she got the shaft.

What does Shaft mean in slang?

the penisSlang: Vulgar. the penis. Slang: harsh, unfair, or treacherous treatment: I feel like he's giving me the shaft.

What does shafting mean in text?

Slang. an instance of unique or unfair treatment: The owners gave him a real shafting on the deal.

What does shaft mean on Snapchat?

"Swindle or cheat" is the most common definition for SHAFT on Snapchat, WhatsApp, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok. SHAFT. Definition: Swindle or cheat.

What does it mean to get shafted?

To Get Shafted Meaning. Definition: For someone to be treated unfairly or badly by another person. In most cases, this phrase refers to someone experiencing unfair treatment rather than someone treating someone unfairly. It is possible to say both, however. I got shafted on the trade in of my car.

What does it mean when someone is shafted?

Therefore, if a person is shafted it means someone is thrusting a pole at them, which could easily harm them.

Where does the saying "hands down" come from?

Hands down comes from horse racing, where, if you’re way ahead of everyone else, you can relax your grip on the reins and let your hands down. When you win hands down, you win easily.

Where did the saying "every cloud has a silver lining" come from?

The idea became part of literature and part of the culture, giving us the proverb “every cloud has a silver lining” in the mid-1800s. 9. HAVE YOUR WORK CUT OUT.

What does "on the carpet" mean?

Carpet used to mean a thick cloth that could be placed in a range of places: on the floor, on the bed, on a table. The floor carpet is the one we use most now, so the image most people associate with this phrase is one where a servant or employee is called from plainer, carpetless room to the fancier, carpeted part of the house. But it actually goes back to the tablecloth meaning. When there was an issue up for discussion by some kind of official council it was “on the carpet.”

What does "running the shebang" mean?

Some officers wrote home about “running the shebang,” meaning the encampment. The origin of the word is obscure, but because it also applied to a tavern or drinking place, it may go back to the Irish word shebeen for a ramshackle drinking establishment. 12. PUSH THE ENVELOPE.

How to say "have your work cut out for you"?

9. HAVE YOUR WORK CUT OUT. The expression “you’ve got your work cut out for you” comes from tailoring. To do a big sewing job, all the pieces of fabric are cut out before they get sewn together. It seems like if your work has been cut for you, it should make job easier, but we don’t use the expression that way.

What is the meaning of the phrase "push the envelope"?

Pushing the envelope belongs to the modern era of the airplane. The “flight envelope” is a term from aeronautics meaning the boundary or limit of performance of a flight object. The envelope can be described in terms of mathematical curves based on things like speed, thrust, and atmosphere. You push it as far as you can in order to discover what the limits are. Tom Wolfe’s The Right Stuff brought the expression into wider use.

What does "run of the mill" mean?

If something is run of the mill, it’s average, ordinary, nothing special. But what does it have to do with milling ? It most likely originally referred to a run from a textile mill. It’s the stuff that’s just been manufactured, before it’s been decorated or embellished. There were related phrases like “run of the mine,” for chunks of coal that hadn’t been sorted by size yet, and “run of the kiln,” for bricks as they came out without being sorted for quality yet.

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