Originally posted by: AStar617
Originally posted by: 1sikbITCH
Originally posted by: drinkmorejava
Ok, ya know, I can't stand it any longer, sorry if it makes me a loser n00b, but what the hell is shens.
Thanks. I've been curious as to the answer to that for some time.
Shenanigans. Called when a story/situation is deemed complete BS.
See South Park's "Cow Days" episode from Season 2.
One entry found for shenanigan. -- Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary
Main Entry: she·nan·i·gan
Pronunciation: shschwa-primarystressna-ni-gschwan
Function: noun
Etymology: origin unknown
1 : a devious trick used especially for an underhand purpose
2 a : tricky or questionable practices or conduct -- usually used in plural b : high-spirited or mischievous activity -- usually used in plural
Shenanigan -- Online Etymology Dictionary
1855, of uncertain origin. Earliest records of it are in San Francisco and Sacramento, Calif. Suggestions include Sp. chanada, a shortened form of charranada "trick, deceit," or, less likely, Ger. Schenigelei, peddler's argot for "work, craft," or the related Ger. slang verb schinäglen. Another guess centers on Ir. sionnach "fox."
Shenanigan -- World Wide Words
Trickery, underhand action, intrigue, skulduggery.
You?ll most commonly encounter this word in the plural. It seems to have originated in California at about the time of the Gold Rush, though it was first recorded in print only in 1855. In the years since, it has been spelt in about a dozen different ways, though recent dictionaries have settled on the version above. Where it comes from is still a matter of substantial dispute; the first five dictionaries I consulted gave four different origins (Oxford Dictionaries?as so often?opting for the ultra-cautious ?origin unknown?). The word looks Irish, and there was no shortage of Irishmen in the California diggings, so it?s plausible to suggest the Irish word sionnachuighm as the source, meaning ?I play tricks?, which is pronounced roughly as ?shinnuckeem?. Others argue it comes from an East Anglian dialect word nannicking for playing the fool. Yet others guess at a link with the Spanish word chanada for a trick or deceit, which is another half-way plausible source, considering California?s history. Yet another theory was put forward in 1948 in American Speech for an origin in German schinnagel for a nail that holds the rim to the wheel, which produced the German slang terms schinageln, to work, and Schenigelei, a trick. As the man behind the market stall said, you pays your money and you takes your choice ...
My personal experience with the word was about 20 years ago. I first heard the use of the word was from an English/Danish/German family (I though it was a German slang).