Phrase guide
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
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noun
A situation, opportunity, or outcome which is less favorable than situations, opportunities, or outcomes experienced by or available to others.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: idiomatic
Synonyms: shitty stick, draw the short straw, raw deal
Antonyms: none provided
History
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.
