Jun 11, 2021 13:18
2 yrs ago
24 viewers *
English term
shape-ups
English
Art/Literary
Slang
Instead of being a prince, Danny is some kind of minor duke or
something. He always gets picked in the shape-ups without having to
pay off the dock bosses, and Pat sees that other kind of work comes
his way from time to time.
Irish mafia, 1980s, Rhode Island
I suppose the shape-ups might mean fights, but then I can see no connection to "having to pay off the dock bosses", unless they have to pay for having a fight? Or is it something else? Thank you for your help.
something. He always gets picked in the shape-ups without having to
pay off the dock bosses, and Pat sees that other kind of work comes
his way from time to time.
Irish mafia, 1980s, Rhode Island
I suppose the shape-ups might mean fights, but then I can see no connection to "having to pay off the dock bosses", unless they have to pay for having a fight? Or is it something else? Thank you for your help.
Responses
+2
27 mins
Cilian O'Tuama
Germany
Germany
Native in English
&
English
Germany
Quality Translations since 1986
Native in: English
Works in: German to English, English, German, and 6 more.
Related KudoZ points
:
8
English term (edited):
shape-up
Selected
(informal) recruitment o. hiring process
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Note added at 51 mins (2021-06-11 14:10:23 GMT)
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It sounds like other candidates had to bribe the dock bosses in order to be picked for a job, but not our Danny.
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Note added at 51 mins (2021-06-11 14:10:23 GMT)
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It sounds like other candidates had to bribe the dock bosses in order to be picked for a job, but not our Danny.
Reference:
https://careertrend.com/about-6692958-longshoremen-s-job-description.html
https://archive.org/stream/shapeuphiringhal00larrrich/shapeuphiringhal00larrrich_djvu.txt
Note from asker:
| It seems so. That's a good suggestion, thanks! |
4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer.
Comment: "Thank you"
+1
21 hrs
Yvonne Gallagher
Ireland
Ireland
Native in English
&
English
Ireland
right word, right place. everytime
Native in: English (Variants: US, Canadian, Irish, UK) 
Works in: French to English, Spanish to English, English, and 1 more.
Related KudoZ points
:
24
system of day hire of longshoremen etc.
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/shape-up
: a system of hiring workers and especially longshoremen by the day or shift by having applicants gather for each day's selection
also : an instance of such hiring practice
There were several jobs where men looking for work had to assemble early each morning and the boss or forman would then pick the workers they wanted from the assembled ranks for the day's work
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Note added at 23 hrs (2021-06-12 13:09:40 GMT)
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type: foreman
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Note added at 1 day 22 hrs (2021-06-13 11:28:44 GMT)
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"informal" is too vague to sdescribe this system of hiring.
there was a scene in the great film with Marlon brando On the Waterfrong of this corrupt "shape-up" system https://archive.nytimes.com/www.nytimes.com/packages/html/mo...
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Note added at 1 day 22 hrs (2021-06-13 11:30:02 GMT)
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There was a system of hiring called the shape-up, which had been outlawed in England a century ago as inhuman, degrading and wasteful of manpower. These priests saw the immorality of the shape-up: five or six hundred men standing around a hiring boss, often a Sing-Sing old grad, who taps the two hundred or so he wants that day. There was hardly an evil the harbor, said the waterfront priests, not directly traceable to the shape-up.
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Note added at 4 days (2021-06-15 14:54:40 GMT) Post-grading
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well, what can I say? I rarely post 100% confidence but I am sure of this one.
"informal" while not completely wrong, is clearly too vague as this is a special type of hiring
: a system of hiring workers and especially longshoremen by the day or shift by having applicants gather for each day's selection
also : an instance of such hiring practice
There were several jobs where men looking for work had to assemble early each morning and the boss or forman would then pick the workers they wanted from the assembled ranks for the day's work
--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 23 hrs (2021-06-12 13:09:40 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------
type: foreman
--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 1 day 22 hrs (2021-06-13 11:28:44 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------
"informal" is too vague to sdescribe this system of hiring.
there was a scene in the great film with Marlon brando On the Waterfrong of this corrupt "shape-up" system https://archive.nytimes.com/www.nytimes.com/packages/html/mo...
--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 1 day 22 hrs (2021-06-13 11:30:02 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------
There was a system of hiring called the shape-up, which had been outlawed in England a century ago as inhuman, degrading and wasteful of manpower. These priests saw the immorality of the shape-up: five or six hundred men standing around a hiring boss, often a Sing-Sing old grad, who taps the two hundred or so he wants that day. There was hardly an evil the harbor, said the waterfront priests, not directly traceable to the shape-up.
--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 4 days (2021-06-15 14:54:40 GMT) Post-grading
--------------------------------------------------
well, what can I say? I rarely post 100% confidence but I am sure of this one.
"informal" while not completely wrong, is clearly too vague as this is a special type of hiring
Note from asker:
| This is so well backed-up that I would like to give points to two answerers. But since Cillian's link cleared my doubts first, it's just a big thank you. |
| Yes I know that the title of the answer is not very precise but the second link given by Cillian explains the procedure very extensively. I really appreciate both of your answers. |
Discussion
"Danny" Walsh (c. 1893 – February 2, 1933?) was an organized crime figure in Providence, Rhode Island involved in bootlegging during Prohibition. He was the top underworld figure in southern New England, and last major Irish-American gangster in the region, until his kidnapping and apparent murder in 1933. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Danny_Walsh#:~:text="Danny" Wa...
shake-up
a radical reorganization.
https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/shake-up
On the other hand, What is a shakedown in law?
Word forms: shakedowns
A shakedown is an illegal or deceitful attempt to get money from someone, for example by swindling or blackmailing them. [US, informal] Janie's lawyers say his lawsuits are just a shakedown.