subs. (old).—1. A dance (GROSE): in Western America SHINDIG = a noisy dance.
2. (common).—A disturbance; a quarrel: also SHINTY. Whence (3) a boisterous SPREE (q.v.).
1821. P. EGAN, Life in London, II. iii. The Jack Tar is quite pleased with his night’s cruise, and is continually singing out, “What a prime SHINDY, my messmates!”
1837. R. H. BARHAM, The Ingoldsby Legends, ‘Some Account of a New Play’ (1863), 204.
| He won’t kick up such SHINDIES | |
| Were she once fairly married and off to the Indies. |
1841. The Comic Almanack, March, 11. Vell, sartainly its vindy; and here’s a pretty SHINDY.
1847. THACKERAY, Vanity Fair, II. xix. There’s a regular SHINTY in the house; and everything at sixes and sevens.
1864. Derby-day, 8. He asked them if they wanted to insult him grossly, and there was a very comfortable little SHINDY over it.
1869. E. WOOD, Roland Yorke, xiii. “Which cheque?”… “The one there’s all this SHINDY over at Greatorex and Greatorex’s.”
1889. Cassell’s Saturday Journal, 19 Jan., 398. It was safe to prophecy that there would shortly be a SHINDY somewhere.
1892. KIPLING, Barrack-Room Ballads, ‘The Legends of Evil.’
| He wint to stop the SHINDY | |
| The Devil wid a stable-fork was bedivillin’ their tails. |
1897. B. MITFORD, A Romance of the Cape Frontier, II. iii. Did you get hit in that SHINDY just now?
4. (American).—A liking; a fancy.
1855. HALIBURTON (‘Sam Slick’), Nature and Human Nature, I. v. Father took a wonderful SHINDY to her [Jessie]; for even old men can’t help liking beauty.
