shtick

Estimated CEFR level: C2 — Proficiency

Estimated from word frequency; not an official CEFR classification.

Definition

  1. noun (Yiddish) a little; a piece
  2. noun (Yiddish) a contrived and often used bit of business that a performer uses to steal attention
  3. noun (Yiddish) a prank or piece of clowning

Etymology

Borrowed from Yiddish שטיק (shtik, “shtick, act, piece”). Cognate with German Stück, Dutch stuk. Doublet of shtuka, steck, and styca.

In classic literature

Synonyms

shtik, schtik, schtick

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