Shemmy is British slang for chemin de fer — the casino card game in the baccarat family, popular in European gambling circles in the mid-20th century and strongly associated with James Bond fiction and the upper-class gambling world.
Shemmy is British slang for chemin de fer — the casino card game in the baccarat family, popular in European gambling circles in the mid-20th century and strongly associated with James Bond fiction and the upper-class gambling world. The shortening follows the classic British pattern of clipping foreign words to more pronounceable informal versions. The register is informal and nostalgic; 'shemmy' sounds like the kind of thing someone says in a private members' club.
Shemmy means: Shemmy is British slang for chemin de fer - the casino card game in the baccarat family, popular in European gambling circles in the mid-20th century and strongly associated with James Bond fiction. It is informal slang, fine in casual speech but not suited to formal contexts. There is no real cause for parental concern; it is descriptive vocabulary rather than risky behaviour.
Slang is read by different audiences for very different reasons. The For parents view re-explains the term in plain, non-judgemental language so a caregiver can understand what their child means without needing the surrounding subculture. The For English learners view focuses on register (when it's safe to use), formal alternatives, and common mistakes — what a textbook won't teach you.
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UK and Irish slang — Cockney, Scouse, Geordie, Yorkshire, Glaswegian, Brummie, Welsh, West Country, plus Irish English. Centuries of regional dialects feeding into modern British and Irish street talk.
See all British & Irish slang slang on Slangora.
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(UK, slang, card games) The card game called chemin de fer.
(obsolete, UK, slang) A person who goes half-naked on the streets in order to beg for money.
(obsolete, slang) A jar for holding liquor.
A dated British military slang term meaning 'go away' or 'clear off,' borrowed from Arabic during the British colonial presence in Egypt and the broader Middle East. Used as a curt dismissal. Most common in early 20th century British military writing and memoirs; rarely heard today outside historical contexts.
They found a table running shemmy in the back room and played until the small hours.
Shemmy means: Shemmy is British slang for chemin de fer - the casino card game in the baccarat family, popular in European gambling circles in the mid-20th century and strongly associated with James Bond fiction. It is informal slang, fine in casual speech but not suited to formal contexts. There is no real cause for parental concern; it is descriptive vocabulary rather than risky behaviour.
shemmy means: Shemmy is British slang for chemin de fer - the casino card game in the baccarat family, popular in European gambling circles in the mid-20th century and strongly associated. Register: very informal, slang. Suitable only for casual conversation, chat and social media. Do not use in business, academic or news writing. A common learner mistake is using the word in a register it does not fit, or assuming a single global meaning; native speakers immediately notice when slang appears in formal contexts, so always check the surrounding register before producing it yourself.
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(UK, slang) (card game).
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