Shyster

For other uses, see Shyster (disambiguation).

A shyster ( /ˈʃaɪstər/) is a slang word for someone who acts in a disreputable, unethical, or unscrupulous way, especially in the practice of law, politics or business.

Etymology

The etymology of the word is not generally agreed upon. The Merriam-Webster Dictionary says it is based on the German Scheißer (literally "defecator" but also used to refer to deceivers), but the Oxford English Dictionary describes it as "of obscure origin", possibly deriving from a historical sense of "shy" meaning disreputable. Various false etymologies have proposed an anti-Semitic origin, and some people continue to regard the word as referring particularly to Jews or Jewish lawyers.

Common alternate spellings

Shyster has many commonly used alternate spellings, including shuyster, schister, scheister, sheister, schyster, shister, shiester, and schiester.

Cultural references

• In 1932 and 1933, Groucho and Chico Marx starred in a situation comedy named Flywheel, Shyster and Flywheel, which depicted the misadventures of a small law firm.
• In the Marx Brothers movie Monkey Business, the following lines occur: Woman: You're awfully shy for a lawyer. Groucho: That's right I'm a shyster lawyer!"
• In The Case of the Velvet Claws (1933), the first of Earl Stanley Gardner's Perry Mason novels, the fictional attorney tells of himself: "If you look me up through some family lawyer or some corporation lawyer, he'll probably tell you that I'm a shyster".
• In a Rolling Stone article from October 1, 1970 included in The Great Shark Hunt, Hunter S. Thompson refers to Aspen residents with ambitions of developing the town as "the kind of shysters and horsey hypocrites who pass for "liberals" in Aspen."
• In the 1981 movie S.O.B. the character Polly Reed calls Dr. Irving Finegarten a shyster. To which Irving replies: "I could sue you for calling me that. A shyster is a disreputable lawyer. I'm a quack."
• In the 1993 crime film Carlito's Way the character Carlito Brigante (Al Pacino) is being told by a police inspector inside District Attorney Norwalk's (James Rebhorn) office that his jewish lawyer and friend Dave Kleinfeld (Sean Penn) tried to set him up. The police inspector calls Dave Kleinfeld a "shyster".
• In a scene from the 1998 spy thriller movie Enemy of the State, one of the gangsters calls Will Smith a shyster, to which Smith responds: "I believe the slur 'shyster' is generally reserved for Jewish attorneys. The proper term for someone like myself would be, ermm, eggplant."
• In an 2009 episode of Law and Order: SVU entitled "Lead", Captain Cragen (Dann Florek) tells a couple of his detectives to talk to a hospital representative to find out information about a suit filed against them: "Talk to the hospital, find out what Keppler and his shyster lawyer are up to."
• In Queer Duck: The Movie, a 2006 animated film, the title character is portrayed as working as a nurse in a hospital named "Shyster Extramente." (A veiled satire of the Kaiser Permanente hospital group)
• A Disney character Sylvester Shyster, a disbarred attorney, schemes to deprive Minnie Mouse of her inheritance.
• George W. Bush (the 43rd president of the United States) on Meet The Press, talking about and encouraging donations for Haiti: "One of my concerns is shysters show up and take advantage of people's good will and generosity".
• In the Simpsons episode Bart Gets Hit by a Car, Lisa Simpson asks lawyer Lionel Hutz, "Excuse me, Mr. Hutz. Are you a shyster?" - to which he replies: "How does a nice little girl like you know a big word like that?"
• Also in the Simpsons, in episode Brother, Can You Spare Two Dimes?, Bart Simpson convinces Homer Simpson into giving a $2000 reward to his turned bum brother Herbert by saying: "Dad, you know some shyster is gonna bilk you out of your money, may as well be your brother."
• In the 2008 video game Grand Theft Auto IV a car brand based on Chrysler is called Shyster.