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sham

UK/ˈʃæm/ US/ˈʃʰæm/ fairly common slang
noun (2) adjective (1) verb (2)

noun

1.

something that is a counterfeit; not what it seems to be

Synonyms
2.

adjective

1.

adopted in order to deceive

  • “an assumed name”
  • “an assumed cheerfulness”
  • “a fictitious address”
  • “fictive sympathy”
  • “a pretended interest”
  • “a put-on childish voice”
  • “sham modesty”
Synonyms
Similar

verb

1.

make a pretence of

  • “She assumed indifference, even though she was seething with anger”
  • “he feigned sleep”
Synonyms
2.

make believe with the intent to deceive

  • “He feigned that he was ill”
  • “He shammed a headache”
Synonyms

Origin

Probably a dialectal form of shame. Alternatively, sham is a term that is used to describe the bottom thick base of a glass, usually a wine or stem glass, where the stem meets the bulbous shape bowl. Glass manufacturers would increase the "sham" to deceive customers into thinking a glass holds more than it actually does. For example, a manufacturer would mold a 12oz glass with a larger "sham" in the base to reduce the volume of the glasses to fit 10-11oz of liquid. By increasing the bulge in the base, usually where the stem meets the glass, it is almost impossible to visually distinguish the difference. This gives the illusion the glass size is the same as any another 12oz glass, but the inside will hold a lesser volume. Later, bringing use to the term "you got shammed" when one party tries to hide something and/or get over on the other party using deceiving tactics.

Phrases

  • pillow sham
  • sham marriage
  • Uncle Sham

Related words

Word family

Broader terms

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Related verbs

WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.