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shibboleth |
Also found in: Legal, Encyclopedia, Wikipedia, Hutchinson | 0.02 sec. |
shibboleth [ˈʃɪbəˌlɛθ] n
1. a belief, principle, or practice which is commonly adhered to but which is thought by some people to be inappropriate or out of date 2. a custom, phrase, or use of language that acts as a test of belonging to, or as a stumbling block to becoming a member of, a particular social class, profession, etc. [from Hebrew, literally: ear of grain; the word is used in the Old Testament by the Gileadites as a test word for the Ephraimites, who could not pronounce the sound sh] ThesaurusLegend: Synonyms Related Words Antonyms
Translations shibboleth n (= custom) → Gepflogenheit f, → Konvention f; (= catchword) → Losung f, → Parole f, → Schibboleth nt (rare, liter) How to thank TFD for its existence? Tell a friend about us, add a link to this page, add the site to iGoogle, or visit webmaster's page for free fun content. |
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| This thing of using the common beggar's trick and the common beggar's shibboleth to put you on your liberality when you were expecting a simple straightforward commercial transaction, adds a little to your prospering sense of irritation. Life is easy to chronicle, but bewildering to practice, and we welcome "nerves" or any other shibboleth that will cloak our personal desire. Thank God I have done with these people and their disgusting shibboleth of respectability. |
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