Shamble, subs. (old).—In pl. = the legs. Whence Shake your shambles = Begone! As verb. = 'to walk awkwardly'; shamble-legged = shuffling (B. E. and Grose).
Shambrogue, subs. (old).—The
Shamrock. Also shamroot.
1613. Withers, Abuses Stript and Whipt, 71. And for my cloathing in a mantle goe, And feed on sham-roots as the Irish doe.
1712. Spectator, 455. I could easily observe . . . the Spanish myrtle, the English oak, the Scotch thistle, the Irish shambrogue.
Shameless, subs. (old: B. E.,
c.1696).—'A bold forward Blade.'
Sham-legger, subs. phr. (common).—A
man offering worthless
stuff for sale cheap.
Shammock, verb. (old).—To loaf
(q.v.).
d.1704. Brown, Works, ii. 184. Pox take you both for a couple of shammocking rascals.
Shamrock. To drown the
Shamrock, verb. phr. (Irish).—To
go drinking on St. Patrick's
Day (Mar. 17th).
1888. D. Telegraph, 22 Mar. An Irishman of strong national instincts, and resident, or 'commorant,' in Edinburgh, on Saturday last resolved to drown the shamrock in the orthodox fashion.
Shan (or Shand), subs. (Old Cant).—Base
coin. Hence as adj. =
worthless (Grose and Vaux).
1815. Scott, Guy Mannering, xxxii. 'I doubt Glossin will prove but shand[*] after a', mistress,' said Jabot, as he passed through the little lobby beside the bar; 'but this is a gude half-crown ony way.'
- [Cant expression for base coin.]
Shandrydan (or Shandry), subs.
(Irish).—A light two-wheeled,
one-horsed cart: hence, any old
ricketty trap.
1843. Thackeray, Irish Sketch Book, xii. Where all the vehicles, the cars, barouches and shandrydans, the carts, the horse- and donkey-men could have found stable and shelter, who can tell?
1861. Cornhill Mag., v. 440. An ancient rickety-looking vehicle of the kind once known as shandrydan.
1863. Gaskell, Sylvia's Lovers, xxix. I ha' been to engage a shandry this very morn.
1876. Braddo, Joshua Haggard, iii. An ancient white pony, which the Squire drove himself in a shandrydan of the chaise tribe, completed the Pentreath stud.
1886. D. Telegraph, 10 Sep. Until an immense procession of buggies, wagonnettes, chaise carts, and shandrydans had rattled by.
1896. Sala, London Up-to-date, 43. I have done the Derby . . . in every style—gigs, landaus, barouches, hansoms, shandrydans. . . .
Shandy-gaff, subs. phr. (common).—Beer
and ginger-beer.
1853. Bradley, Verd. Green, 1. 118. 'He taught me to grill a devil.' 'Grill a devil,' groaned Miss Virginia. 'And to make shandy-gaff and sherry cobbler, and brew bishop and egg flip: oh, its capital!'
1864. Eton School Days, v. Chorley took him up the river and inducted him into the mysteries of shandy-gaff at Surly.
1871. Chambers' Journal, 9 Dec., 771. I am sitting with him drinking shandy-gaff.
1872. Fun, 10 Aug. 'A Ditton Ditty.' So let us quaff Our shandy-gaff.
1880. Mortimer Collins, Thoughts in my Garden, ii. 198. They bear about the same resemblance to real literature as shandy-gaff to dry champagne.
Shaney (or Shanny), subs. (common).—A
fool.
d.1823. Bloomfield, The Horkey. And out ran every soul beside, A shanny-*pated crew.
