Get the short end of the stick means losing out, getting the worst share: awkward shifts, more work, less money. The late shift got the short end of the stick when the new rota was announced. It usually sounds resentful: the split was unfair.
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get the short end of the stick; got the short end of the stick
- The late shift got the short end of the stick when the new rota was announced.
- Small shops get the short end of the stick when delivery fees rise equally for everyone.
- I felt I had got the short end of the stick because I did most of the work for the smallest share.
What changed
First versionWe got short end of the stick when the duties were divided.
RevisionWe got the short end of the stick when the duties were divided.
Short end sounds like a simple description, so the first the is easy to drop. But the idiom has two: the short end of the stick. Put the first the back.
Get the wrong end of the stick means misunderstanding: You've got the wrong end of the stick, I wasn't angry. Short is a bad share, wrong is a wrong understanding. The lion's share is the opposite: the biggest part.
Your turn
You received the least favourable share of the work. You got the ___ end of the stick.
Show the answer
short — You got the worst share, so short. Wrong end would mean you misunderstood something.
Describe how someone ended up with the least when duties or money were shared out. Use get the short end of the stick.
Weekend staff got the short end of the stick: they had longer shifts but no extra break.
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