variants
also shillalah
as in cane
a heavy rigid stick used as a weapon or for punishment
the bartender in the Irish pub keeps a shillelagh behind the bar just in case there's trouble
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Recent Examples of shillelagh
The original shillelagh was retired with a new one introduced in 1997.
—
Tom Layberger, Forbes, 27 Nov. 2024
There are fleas and chamber pots and thumbed noses and a St. Patrick’s Day picnic that — hold on to your shillelagh!
—Dan Barry, New York Times, 15 Mar. 2024
Or this:Youu can't pack a shillelagh in your carry-on: TSA finds cudgel at Idaho airport Meg Foster, a justice fellow at Georgetown University's Center on Privacy and Technology, said there are concerns about bias within the algorithms of various facial recognition technologies.
—Rebecca Santana and Rick Gentilo, USA TODAY, 15 May 2023
Air travelers, take note: Be sure to keep your guns and your knives and shillelaghs – and your cats for that matter – out of your carry-ons.
—Forrest Brown, CNN, 19 Apr. 2023
In contemporary times, some people study bataireacht, a type of Irish martial art, using the shillelagh.
—Emily Mae Czachor, CBS News, 20 Apr. 2023
Owusu Koramoah loved it when former Notre Dame coach Brian Kelly hoisted the jeweled shillelagh in the locker room when the Irish would beat USC.
—Jimmy Watkins, cleveland, 9 Dec. 2022
The shillelagh, a tall walking stick, was also a protection against large animals.
—Brenda Yenke, cleveland, 24 Mar. 2022
Alabama played a competitive first half of its NCAA tournament opener Friday against Notre Dame, but then took a whack from the Fighting Irish’s shillelagh in the second half to end its season with a 78-64 loss.
—Mike Rodak | Mrodak@al.com, al, 18 Mar. 2022
Tom Layberger, Forbes, 27 Nov. 2024
There are fleas and chamber pots and thumbed noses and a St. Patrick’s Day picnic that — hold on to your shillelagh!
—Dan Barry, New York Times, 15 Mar. 2024
Or this:Youu can't pack a shillelagh in your carry-on: TSA finds cudgel at Idaho airport Meg Foster, a justice fellow at Georgetown University's Center on Privacy and Technology, said there are concerns about bias within the algorithms of various facial recognition technologies.
—Rebecca Santana and Rick Gentilo, USA TODAY, 15 May 2023
Air travelers, take note: Be sure to keep your guns and your knives and shillelaghs – and your cats for that matter – out of your carry-ons.
—Forrest Brown, CNN, 19 Apr. 2023
In contemporary times, some people study bataireacht, a type of Irish martial art, using the shillelagh.
—Emily Mae Czachor, CBS News, 20 Apr. 2023
Owusu Koramoah loved it when former Notre Dame coach Brian Kelly hoisted the jeweled shillelagh in the locker room when the Irish would beat USC.
—Jimmy Watkins, cleveland, 9 Dec. 2022
The shillelagh, a tall walking stick, was also a protection against large animals.
—Brenda Yenke, cleveland, 24 Mar. 2022
Alabama played a competitive first half of its NCAA tournament opener Friday against Notre Dame, but then took a whack from the Fighting Irish’s shillelagh in the second half to end its season with a 78-64 loss.
—Mike Rodak | Mrodak@al.com, al, 18 Mar. 2022
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shillelagh
Noun
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Paul Pelosi walked slowly to his seat with the help of a purple cane, more than two years after being bludgeoned with a hammer by an intruder looking for his wife, Nancy Pelosi, the former House speaker.Heather Knight, New York Times, 9 Jan. 2025
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Simulation exercises, like walking with a blindfold while using a cane, help people understand the life of someone who has lost their sight.Caitlin Granfield, Miami Herald, 7 Jan. 2025
Noun
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In videos verified by CNN, dozens of protesters are seen confronting a wall of riot police outside the Pucheng Vocational Technical School, with some hurling batons and other objects towards the officers.Shawn Deng, CNN, 11 Jan. 2025
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Zhang’s baton matched the second act’s edge-of-your-seat melodrama.Joshua Barone, New York Times, 10 Jan. 2025
Noun
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Basically, photoreceptors in the eye take two main forms, rods and cones.Elaine Glusac, New York Times, 10 Jan. 2025
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But a devastating fire at the end of the pier last January destroyed the Boat Shack and the treasures inside, which included wooden ship models, anchors, glass floats, vintage fishing rods and a 70-year-old piano.Jackie Burrell, The Mercury News, 23 Dec. 2024
Noun
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The letter, sent yesterday, said a switch from a 48-hour workweek to a 32-hour week would increase staff retention, prevent burnout, and serve as a national model.Rachel Schilke, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 17 Jan. 2025
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Despite documentation of such conditions, state social service administrators and nursing home staff long have maintained that children with medical complexities are far better off in facilities than with family, and that parents are inherently less capable of being caregivers.Carol Marbin Miller, Miami Herald, 17 Jan. 2025
Thesaurus Entries Near shillelagh
Cite this Entry
“Shillelagh.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shillelagh. Accessed 22 Jan. 2025.
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