shanghai

(s̸haŋhī′; also for v., s̸haŋ hī)

noun

any of a breed of large, dark-skinned chicken with white feathers and feathered shanks, imported from China in the 19th cent.

Origin: after Shanghai

transitive verb shanghaied, shanghaiing

  1. Origin: orig. said of sailors thus kidnapped for crew duty on the China run

    to kidnap, usually by drugging, for service aboard ship
  2. Slang to induce (another) to do something through force or deceit

Related Forms:

seaport in Jiangsu province, E China, near the mouth of the Chang: pop. 12,910,000

See shanghai in American Heritage Dictionary 4

transitive verb shang·haied, shang·hai·ing, shang·hais
  1. To kidnap (a man) for compulsory service aboard a ship, especially after drugging him.
  2. To induce or compel (someone) to do something, especially by fraud or force: We were shanghaied into buying worthless securities.

Origin:

Origin: After Shanghai1, from the former custom of kidnapping sailors to man ships going to China

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Related Forms:

  • shang·haiˈer noun

A city of eastern China at the mouth of the Chang Jiang (Yangtze River) southeast of Nanjing. The largest city in the country, Shanghai was opened to foreign trade by the Treaty of Nanking (1842) and quickly prospered. France, Great Britain, and the United States all held large concessions in the city until the early 20th century. Shanghai is located in Jiangsu province but is administered as a separate governmental unit. Population: 9,830,000.

noun

Origin:

Origin: After Shanghai1

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