Shyster
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Shyster /ˈʃaɪstər/ is a slang word for someone who acts in a disreputable, unethical, or unscrupulous way, especially in the practice of law, sometimes also politics or business.
Etymology
The etymology of the word is not generally agreed upon. The Merriam-Webster Dictionary says it is based on the German Scheißer (literally "shitter" but also used to refer to deceivers),[1] but the Oxford English Dictionary describes it as "of obscure origin", possibly deriving from a historical sense of "shy" meaning disreputable.[2] Various false etymologies have suggested an anti-Semitic origin, possibly associated with the character of Shylock from Shakespeare's Merchant of Venice, but there is no clear evidence for this.[3] One source claims that the term originated in Philadelphia in 1843 from a disreputable attorney named "Schuster."[4]
The Soviet nuclear missile R-5 Pobeda was given the NATO reporting name "Shyster."[5]
Cultural references
- Film, radio and television
- Sylvester Shyster (a Walt Disney cartoon character introduced in 1930) is a disbarred attorney who schemes to deprive Minnie Mouse of her inheritance
- Flywheel, Shyster, and Flywheel (1932-3 situation comedy radio show starring Groucho and Chico Marx), depicts the misadventures of a small law firm
References
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- ↑ Oxford English Dictionary, Second Edition, 1989, retrieved from dictionary.oed.com.
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- ↑ Johnston's Archive - SOVIET/RUSSIAN MISSILE DESIGNATIONS
