shyster (redirected from shysterism)

shy·ster  (shstr)

n. Slang

An unethical, unscrupulous practitioner, especially of law.

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[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.]

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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.

Thesaurus

Noun

1.

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