Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

short end of the stick

Word Rarity Uncommon

Frequency: Zipf frequency 4.62 in modern English

Syllables: short- end of the -stick
IPA

34

Scrabble Score

18

Letters

3

Syllables

12

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A situation, opportunity, or outcome which is less favorable than situations, opportunities, or outcomes experienced by or available to others.

Example Sentences

"Near-synonyms: shitty stick; shortest straw; raw deal"
"Soviet emphasis on high-yield weapons might give them a megaton surplus. . . . We might then be on the short end of the stick."
"[T]he 44 Governors . . . spent three days in tense, often heated discussion of the enormous political and fiscal problems handed to the states under President Reagan's "new federalism." Said Wisconsin Governor Lee Dreyfus: "There is some apprehension on the part of the Governors that we are getting the short end of the stick.""
"“[W]orking people are sick and tired of the bosses getting million-dollar bonuses and the workers getting the short end of the stick.”"
"Does this mean Middlesbrough get the short end of the stick, with what will surely be the most ramshackle show of the tour?"
"I learned the hard way that people who ditch cable TV still get the short end of the stick."

Etymology

Unknown. Attested since the 1500s, suggested by one theory to be a minced oath of shit end of the stick, as an 1840s cite uses crappy, but this theory is unlikely. Possibly also derived from a previous literal meaning, as wrong end of the stick is even older, though the precise literal meaning is unclear.

Inflected Forms

short ends of the stick (plural) short end (alternative)

Phrases

wrong end of the stick short straw

Frequently Paired Words

wrong end of the stick short straw

Synonyms

shitty stick draw the short straw raw deal

Questions

What does short end of the stick mean?: A situation, opportunity, or outcome which is less favorable than situations, opportunities, or outcomes experienced by or available to others.
Where does short end of the stick come from?: Unknown. Attested since the 1500s, suggested by one theory to be a minced oath of shit end of the stick, as an 1840s cite uses crappy, but this theory is unlikely. Possibly also derived from a previous literal meaning, as wrong end of the stick is even older, though the precise literal meaning is unclear.

How to pronounce short end of the stick

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