shysterism

shy·ster (sh

n. Slang

An unethical, unscrupulous practitioner, especially of law.

[Probably alteration of German Scheisser, son of a bitch, bastard, from scheissen, to defecate, from Middle High German schzen, from Old High German skzzan; see skei- in Indo-European roots.]

shyster·ism n.

Word History: Calling someone a shyster might be considered libellous; knowing its probable origin adds insult to injury. According to Gerald L. Cohen, a student of the word, shyster is derived from the German term scheisser, meaning literally "one who defecates," from the verb scheissen, "to defecate," with the English suffix -ster, "one who does," substituted for the German suffix -er, meaning the same thing. Sheisser, which is chiefly a pejorative term, is the German equivalent of our English terms bastard and son of a bitch. Sheisser is generally thought to have been borrowed directly into English as the word shicer, which, among other things, is an Australian English term for an unproductive mine or claim, a sense that is also recorded for the word shyster.

shyster [ˈʃaɪstə]

Informal chiefly US a person, esp a lawyer or politician, who uses discreditable or unethical methods

[probably based on Scheuster, name of a disreputable 19th-century New York lawyer]

ThesaurusLegend: Synonyms Related Words Antonyms

Noun

shyster - a person (especially a lawyer or politician) who uses unscrupulous or unethical methods

pettifogger

offender, wrongdoer - a person who transgresses moral or civil law

Translations

shyster [ˈʃaɪstəʳ] N (esp US) → tramposo/a m/f, estafador(a) m/f; (= lawyer) → picapleitos mf inv sin escrúpulos

shyster

n (US inf) → Gauner(in) m(f); (= lawyer) → Rechtsverdreher(in) m(f) (inf)

shyster [ˈʃaɪstəʳ] n (Am) (fam) → lestofante m; (lawyer, politician) → filibustiere m

Mentioned in	?		References in periodicals archive	?		Dictionary browser	?		Full browser	?
Law offender pettifogger rat shrewdness wrongdoer	Beard is guilty of suppressing facts, hand-picking others, overstepping others, and misrepresenting still others--for all of which shysterism we would flunk the dissertation of a Ph. Cold war without end; America never had a post-communist revolution by Brown, David / The American Conservative As Ponzi schemes and other brands of shysterism continue to bubble up nationally and in Colorado, I return to King's quote, appreciating the vast difference between the worst and best business behavior and how much the latter inspires and the former demoralizes. Being the best in uncertain times by Cote, Mike / ColoradoBiz It was an outrageous piece of moralist shysterism designed to prevent anyone daring to disagree with a move that could ring the death knell for some Merseyside pubs already reeling from the smoking ban and cheap supermarket takeaways. Mike Chapple; cartoon/pubs by Daily Post (Liverpool, England)	Shuttle box shuttle bus shuttle diplomacy shuttle helicopter shuttle race shuttle service Shuttle shell shuttlecock shuttlecock fern Shuttlecork shuttlecraft Shuttlewise shwa Shwan-pan shwarma shy shy away shy away from shy person shylock shyly Shymkent shyness shypoo shyster shysterism SI SI derived unit Si Kiang Si quis SI system SI unit Si-ma Qian siabon Siaga siagonology sial sialadenitis sialagogue Sialia sialic acid Sialidae Sialis Sialis lutaria sialism sialismus Sialkot Sialogogue sialoid sialolith sialomucin	Shylock shylocked shylocked shylocking shylocking shylocks shylocks shyly shyly shyly shyly shyly Shym SHYMA Shymkent Shymkent Shyn shyness shyness shyness shyness shyness SHYP shypoo SHYPP SHYS shyster shyster shyster shyster shysterism shysters shysters SHZ SHZV si si si si si Sí Sí Sí Sí SI (disambiguation) SI (disambiguation) SI (disambiguation) SI (disambiguation) SI -Systeme International d'unites SI -Systeme International d'unites SI -Systeme International d'unites SI -Systeme International d'unites Si a jure discedas vagus eris Si assuetis mederi possis nova non sunt tentanda SI C&DH SI Command and Data Handling SI Control and Data Handling SI Control and Data Simulator Systems SI day SI day SI day

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Law
offender
pettifogger
rat
shrewdness
wrongdoer

Beard is guilty of suppressing facts, hand-picking others, overstepping others, and misrepresenting still others--for all of which shysterism we would flunk the dissertation of a Ph.

Cold war without end; America never had a post-communist revolution by Brown, David / The American Conservative

As Ponzi schemes and other brands of shysterism continue to bubble up nationally and in Colorado, I return to King's quote, appreciating the vast difference between the worst and best business behavior and how much the latter inspires and the former demoralizes.

Being the best in uncertain times by Cote, Mike / ColoradoBiz

It was an outrageous piece of moralist shysterism designed to prevent anyone daring to disagree with a move that could ring the death knell for some Merseyside pubs already reeling from the smoking ban and cheap supermarket takeaways.

Mike Chapple; cartoon/pubs by Daily Post (Liverpool, England)

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