A.Word.A.Day--shamus

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The Magic of Words

Nov 24, 2010

This week's theme
Words from Yiddish

This week's words
schmeer
noodge
shamus

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A.Word.A.Day

with Anu Garg

shamus

PRONUNCIATION:

(SHAH-muhs, SHAY-)

MEANING:

noun:
1. A private detective.
2. A police officer.

ETYMOLOGY:

Perhaps from Yiddish shames/shammes (sexton, a caretaker at a synagogue), from Hebrew shamash (servant). The spelling of the word has altered from the influence of the Celtic name Seamus (equivalent to James) as many police officers in the US at the time, especially in New York, were Irish. First recorded use: 1925.

USAGE:

"A private eye is expected to be whip-smart and tough as nails, but if the guy isn't likable, he's D.O.A. as a genre hero. So it's nice to note that Vlodek Elstrom, a shamus from a tumbledown town in northern Illinois has lost none of his initial appeal in its sequel."
Marilyn Stasio; A Need for Noir; The New York Times; Jan 23, 2009.

Explore "shamus" in the Visual Thesaurus.

A THOUGHT FOR TODAY:

You shall judge of a man by his foes as well as by his friends. -Joseph Conrad, novelist (1857-1924)

WildWords - Not Your Grandma's Game New tiles, squares, and rules put all words in play. See how. Very cool concepts.

MooT - the semantics and etymology game Click here to play MooT, the game that tests your knowledge of English. Sponsorship info

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