shuck

shuck
{{11}}shuck (n.) "husk, pod, shell," 1670s, Amer.Eng., of unknown origin. Later used in reference to the shells of oysters and clams (1872).
{{12}}shuck (v.) 1819, "to remove the shucks from," Many extended senses are from the notion of "stripping" an ear of corn, or from the capers associated with husking frolics; e.g. "to strip (off) one's clothes" (1848) and "to deceive, swindle, cheat, fool" (1959); phrase shucking and jiving "fooling, deceiving" is suggested from 1966, in U.S. black English, but Cf. shuck (v.) a slang term among "cool musicians" for "to improvise chords, esp. to a piece of music one does not know" (1957), and shuck (n.) "a theft or fraud," in use by 1950s among U.S. blacks.
[B]lack senses probably fr[om] the fact that black slaves sang and shouted gleefully during corn-shucking season, and this behavior, along with lying and teasing, became a part of the protective and evasive behavior normally adopted towards white people in "traditional" race relations; the sense of "swindle" is perhaps related to the mid-1800s term to be shucked out, "be defeated, be denied victory," which suggests that the notion of stripping someone as an ear of corn is stripped may be basic in the semantics. ["Dictionary of American Slang"]

Etymology dictionary. 2014.

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  • shuck´er — shuck «shuhk», noun, verb. –n. 1. a husk, pod, or shell, especially the outer covering or strippings, as of corn (maize), chestnuts, or hickory nuts. 2. the shell of an oyster or clam. 3. U.S. Slang. fake; bluff: »Everybody with a brain in his… …   Useful english dictionary

  • Shuck — Shuck, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Shucked}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Shucking}.] 1. To deprive of the shucks or husks; as, to shuck walnuts, Indian corn, oysters, etc. [1913 Webster] 2. To remove or take off (shucks); hence, to discard; to lay aside; usually… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Shuck — may refer to: *The shell sections of grains *Black Shuck, mythical dog *Ryan Shuck, guitarist *William E. Shuck, Jr., Medal of Honor recipient …   Wikipedia

  • shuck — [ʃʌk] v [T] AmE to remove the outer cover of a vegetable such as corn, or the shell of ↑oyster s shuck off [shuck sth<=>off] phr v to take off a piece of clothing ▪ She shucked off her jacket and ran upstairs …   Dictionary of contemporary English

  • shuck — [shuk] n. [< ?] 1. a shell, pod, or husk; esp., the husk of an ear of corn ☆ 2. the shell of an oyster or clam ☆ 3. [pl.] Informal something valueless [not worth shucks ] ☆ 4. Slang a) a hoax or fraud …   English World dictionary

  • Shuck — (sh[u^]k), n. A shock of grain. [Prev. Eng.] [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Shuck — Shuck, n. [Perhaps akin to G. shote a husk, pod, shell.] 1. A shell, husk, or pod; especially, the outer covering of such nuts as the hickory nut, butternut, peanut, and chestnut. [1913 Webster] 2. The shell of an oyster or clam. [U. S.] [1913… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • shuck — [ ʃʌk ] verb transitive AMERICAN to remove the shell or outer part of something such as a nut or vegetable ,shuck off phrasal verb transitive AMERICAN INFORMAL 1. ) to take a piece of clothing off 2. ) to get rid of something …   Usage of the words and phrases in modern English

  • shuck — shuck; shuck·er; …   English syllables

  • Shuck. — Shuck., bei Tiernamen Abkürzung für William Edward Shuckard (spr. schöck ), geb. 1802 in Brighton, gest. 10. Nov. 1868 in London, Buchhändler und Entomolog …   Meyers Großes Konversations-Lexikon

  • shuck — index denude Burton s Legal Thesaurus. William C. Burton. 2006 …   Law dictionary

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