1834. Southey, The Doctor, cv. He Was no shilly shallier.
1849. Thackeray, Pendennis, xxxvii. I'll have no more letters nor no more shilly-shally.
1883. James Payn, Thicker than Water, xvii. He says he will have no more shilly-shallying, but will you take the Lady or will you not?
1884. Sat. Review, 8 March, 299, 2. He relapses into shilly-shally under cover of General Graham's feat.
Shimmy (or Shimmey), subs. (colloquial).—A
chemise. Also (Felsted)
= a shirt: obsolete.
1837. Marryatt, Snarley Yow, xliv. We have nothing here but petticoats and shimmeys . . . Never mind I'll lend you a shimmey.
1856. Dow, Sermons [Bartlett]. As interesting a sight . . . as a shimmey in a wash-tub.
18[?]. A Tale of Sleepy Hollow [Bartlett]. The ghost was Aunt Kate's shimmeys pinned on the line to dry.
Shin, verb. (colloquial).—Generic
for action: spec. to walk, to
tramp: also to shin it. Hence
to shin up = to climb; to
shin it (shin round, or break
shins) = to go a round of lenders:
whence shinner = a borrower;
to shin out of = to clear off;
to break one's shins (see
above); also (2) to be in a hurry;
and (3) to fall against, or over, a
person or thing; against one's
shins = unwillingly (Ray). Also
shinny (American) = a negro
tramp: cf. Hoboe.
1836. Dana, Before the Mast, 284. We had to furl them again in a snow-squall, and shin up and down single ropes caked with ice.
1838. Neal, Charcoal Sketches, The Fleshy One, 11. 13. 'Shin it, good man,' ejaculated a good-natured urchin.
1845. New York Com. Adv., 13 Dec. The Senator was shinning around, to get gold for the rascally bank-rags.
1857. Hughes, Tom Brown's Schooldays, i. 9. Nothing for it but the tree; so Tom laid his bones to it shinning up as as fast he could.
18[?]. Pearl St., 123 [Bartlett]. "Any thing over?" is an expression used by shinners, on applying to their acquaintances for the needful; and if so, it is expected that you will oblige the shinner.
1868. C. Reade and Boucicault, Foul Play, 158. I know I didn't ought to ax a parson to shin up a tree for me.
1871. De Vere, Americanisms . . . To obtain money he has probably had much shinning to do, as slang calls the running about to friends and acquaintances.
1882. Anstey, Vice-Versa, xvi. Shin out of this, whatever y'are, we don't contrack to carry no imps on this line.
1884. Clemens, Huck. Finn, iv. I was up in a second and shinning down the hill.
1891. Russell, Ocean Tragedy, 86. I sprang and had soon shinned as high as the topgallant-yard.
1900. Gunter, Princess of C., 7. Lay low, but tell yer dad to shin up here quick.
1900. Flynt, Tramps, 109. My knowledge of the shinies is very meagre. Ibid., 323. The 'blanket stiff,' the 'gay-cat,' 'the shinny,' the 'Frenchy,' and the 'ex-prushun' were all there.
1902. Headon Hill, Caged, xxxiv. Hill . . . make a rope of the bed-clothes and shin down with her in his arms.
2. (common).—To kick on the shins.
1837. Barham, Ingold. Leg., 11. 351. A ring—give him room, or he'll shin you—stand clear.
1864. Eton School Days, xiii. He could not go out . . . without someone throwing a stone at him, or hissing, or shinning him if he passed near enough.
Shindy, subs. (old).—1. A dance
(Grose): in Western America
shindig = a noisy dance.
2. (common).—A disturbance; a quarrel: also shinty. Whence (3) a boisterous spree (q.v.).
1821. Egan, Life in London, 11. iii. The Jack Tar is quite pleased with his night's cruise, and is continually singing out, "What a prime shindy, my mess-*mates!"
