Idioms

short end of the stick

the short end of the stick

An unequal outcome of a deal that results in a disadvantage or burden. You have to stay calm during business negotiations or else you may end up getting the short end of the stick. I feel like I got the short end of the stick on this project, with the amount of extra time and effort I'll have to put into it.

See also: end, of, short, stick

Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.

*short end of the stick

Fig. the smaller or less desirable part, rank, task, or amount. (*Typically: get ~; have ~; give someone ~; end up with ~.) Why do I always get the short end of the stick? I want my fair share! She's unhappy because she has the short end of the stick again.

See also: end, of, short, stick

McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

short end of the stick, to get/have the

To lose out; to get less than one is entitled to. Exactly what kind of stick is being referred to is no longer known, but possibly it is one used in fighting or in a tug-of-war, in which the person holding the longer end has the advantage. “He having gotten (as we say) the better end of the staffs, did wrest our wills at his pleasure,” wrote Thomas Jackson in 1626 (Commentaries upon the Apostles Creed). Around the turn of the twentieth century in America, “the short end” of anything came to mean the inferior part, and soon this was combined with “stick” to yield the current cliché. See also wrong end of the stick.

See also: end, get, have, of, short, to

The Dictionary of Clichés by Christine Ammer Copyright © 2013 by Christine Ammer

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References in periodicals archive

He went on to say, "Some foreign powers want to use Lebanon as a lab to test potential solutions to regional issues and Lebanon always ends up with the short end of the stick."

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We may get the short end of the stick sometimes, but in the long run, we will prosper.

Too often we extend our reach so far " to so many people " that, in the end, everyone is getting the short end of the stick. Years can go by with some loved ones and friends getting nothing more than a cursory like on Facebook.

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Anorthosis, who so far this season had been accused by other clubs and fans of getting the rub of the green, got the short end of the stick this time.

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"At the end of the day, we get the short end of the stick. We have the biggest bill and we get the short end of the stick.

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Now rumour has it the naughty ones get the short end of the stick when it comes to Santa Harper[TM] doling out presents.

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Educators seem to be getting the short end of the stick as revealed earlier this week in a report by the Teachers Union of Namibia (TUN) which has since been forwarded to the Minister and Permanent Secretary of Education following the union's regional trips during May and the first week of August.

Teachers getting raw deal

Meanwhile, top government officials in Delhi appear to be taking the Roadies atmosphere a little too seriously: those who were given the short end of the stick under the recent P government are hell- bent on ensuring Kejriwal loses, while those whom the BJP- led MCD pestered over civic issues like sanitation and roads are now leaning back towards the Congress.

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But until politicians comprehend that teaching is a JOB, and a tough job at that, NOT a calling, then kids will continue to get the short end of the stick.2day until 5, lose our assistants, have our pensions cut and work longer for no increase in pay.

This fun and fast read is a good combination of humor and mystery with slightly supernatural touches, and it will definitely keep readers on the edge of their seats waiting to see just why Jenna's family seems to be getting the short end of the stick.

''We came up on the short end of the stick. It wasn't a good day.

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"We seem to be getting the short end of the stick with decisions and we could have had a couple of penalty shouts as well."

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Researchers in Spain now suggest that while the plants reap many rewards from this relationship, the ants may get the short end of the stick. They expend energy to carry the whole seed but can eat only a small part, gaining no nutritional advantage over other diets, the team reports May 14 in Ecological Entomology.

"For so long they have received the short end of the stick."

Apple seals the deal with Sony Music; big three now signed up for expected iRadio

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