Dictionary

short end of the stick en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• (Australia) audio

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.

Meanings

1. (idiomatic) A situation, opportunity, or outcome which is less favorable than situations, opportunities, or outcomes experienced by or available to others.
   • “[W]orking people are sick and tired of the bosses getting million-dollar bonuses and the workers getting the short end of the stick.” 2010 July 9, Bob Herbert, “Restoring a Hallowed Vision”, in New York Times, retrieved 10 Apr 2014:
   • Does this mean Middlesbrough get the short end of the stick, with what will surely be the most ramshackle show of the tour? 2012 September 2, Tim Jonze, “Africa Express: rolling coverage”, in Guardian, UK, retrieved 10 Apr 2014:
   • [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." 1981 August 24, Claudia Wallis, “Gee Thanks, Ronnie, but...”, in Time, retrieved 10 Apr 2014:
   • Soviet emphasis on high-yield weapons might give them a megaton surplus. . . . We might then be on the short end of the stick. 1963 April, Ralph E. Lapp, "The Strategy of Overkill," Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, p. 10 (Google preview)
   • I learned the hard way that people who ditch cable TV still get the short end of the stick. 2021 August 5, Shira Ovide, “YouTube Is Underwhelming”, in The New York Times, →ISSN:
   • Near-synonyms: shitty stick; shortest straw; raw deal

Forms

Relateds

wrong end of the stick · short straw

Synonyms

raw deal · shitty stick · draw the short straw