shake

v. tr.

to steal. Very common Australianslang, especially amongst school-boys and bushmen. It wasoriginally Thieves' English.

1855. W. Howitt, `Two Years in Victoria,' vol. ii. p. 9:

«The tent of a surgeon was `shook,' as they style it – – that is,robbed, during his absence in the daytime.»

1878. `The Australian,' vol. i. p. 418:

«Crimean shirts, blankets, and all they `shake,'

Which I'm told's another name for `take.'»

Shake
·- obs. ·p.p. of Shake. II. Shake ·noun A fissure in rock or earth. III. Shake ·noun A shook of st...

Webster's Dictionary of the English Language
shake
1) To shake one's elbow; to game with dice. To shake a cloth in the wind; to be hanged in chains. 2...

Dictionary of The Vulgar Tongue by Francis Grose
Cup shake
·add. ·- A shake or fissure between the annual rings of a tree, found oftenest near the roots. ...

Webster's Dictionary of the English Language
shake-bag
A poor sneaking fellow; a man of no spirit: a term borrowed from the cock-pit. ...

Dictionary of The Vulgar Tongue by Francis Grose
fair shake
A fair trade; a satisfactory bargain or exchange. A New England vulgarism. ...

Dictionary of American Words And Phrases by John Russell Bartlett.
shake, to
To cast off fastenings, as ♦ To shake out a reef. To let out a reef, and enlarge the sail. ♦ To ...

The Sailor's Word-Book
tell-tale shake
The shake of a rope from aloft to denote that it wants letting go. ...

The Sailor's Word-Book
to shake a stick at
A ridiculous phrase very often heard in low language. When a man is puzzled to give one an idea of a...

Dictionary of American Words And Phrases by John Russell Bartlett.
shake out, a reef, to
See let out, a reef, to ...

The Sailor's Word-Book
shake in the wind, to
To bring a vessel's head so near the wind, when close-hauled, as to shiver the sails. ...

The Sailor's Word-Book