Shafting
/ˈʃæf.tɪŋ/noun
The act of cheating, deceiving, or treating someone unfairly; also the action or process of fitting with a shaft.
Did you know?The slang sense of *shafting* comes from *shaft* in the older sense of a sharp, thrusting blow or pole, and it later became a vivid metaphor for being harshly treated or cheated.
Etymological Timeline
Old English
OE
sceaft
“A shaft, spear, rod, or pole.”
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*skaftaz
“A shaft, stem, or handle.”
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*skeh₂p-
“To cut or split; a pointed or shaped piece.”
Middle English
ME
shaft
“A spear, arrow, pole, or long slender rod.”
19th Century
English
shaft
“To cheat, deceive, or treat unfairly; to put into a shaft or fit with a shaft.”
Modern English
English
shafting
“The act or process of shafting; unfair treatment or cheating.”