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Did the word shyster come from Shakespeare's Shylock?

Question #113644. Asked by star_gazer.

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evil44 star
Answer has 3 votes
evil44 star
17 year member
226 replies avatar

Answer has 3 votes.
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.

link http://www.thefreedictionary.com/shyster

Mar 25 2010, 1:22 PM
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Zbeckabee star
Answer has 4 votes
Currently Best Answer
Zbeckabee star
Moderator
18 year member
11752 replies avatar

Answer has 4 votes.

Currently voted the best answer.
shyster -- unscrupulous lawyer," 1843, U.S. slang, probably altered from Ger. Scheisser "incompetent worthless person," from Scheisse "shit," from O.H.G. skizzan "to defecate" (see shit).

link http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?search=shyster&searchmode=none

Mar 25 2010, 11:08 PM
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