| idiom. |
a situation, opportunity, or outcome which is less favorable than situations, opportunities, or outcomes experienced by or available to others (Etymology: Suggested to be a minced oath of shit end of the stick which appears to pre-date "short end of the stick" euphemistically. Possibly also derived from a previous literal meaning, though the precise literal meaning is unclear: “[W]orking people are sick and tired of the bosses getting million-dollar bonuses and the workers getting the short end of the stick.”  wiktionary.org) |
