Do you know what a sham is?

[CostaCosta]

Ds came home from school having learnt this word. I have never heard of a sham (only in the sense of abbreviated "shambles."

I thought it meant shambles.
‘The business deal was a complete sham’

As in, not right/a bit of a con rather than just disorganised

a pillow.....a pillow sham

Really? Well yes, it is a word. Something false or not as it appears to be. "Sham marriage" is a common phrase.

Con.

Is it definitely sham? When my dd started secondary school she used to refer to things as being shan - meaning shocking, so for example if I asked her to tidy her room she would say "that's shan" 🙄
Now she's in year 11 she's mortified when I remind her of it!

@RingORingORoses yes! I have never heard of this.

Fake

Pillow shams are a thing. Or scam/fake or short for shambles.

Yes, in the sense of something that’s fake, or a front for something, or not what it seems. For example you hear about “sham marriages” where the people have never met before and are just doing it for a visa/money.

A sham is something that is not what it appears to be. Something fake.

Simply put, a pillow case is there to protect your pillow and keep it clean as you sleep. A pillow sham is there to hide your pillow behind a more decorative facade.

A con/scam... Something that isn’t what you think it is?

I would say a con as well - not that would use the word.

It’s something false or fake.

Yes, I think the same as @RunningFromInsanity.

A bit of a con is how I think of it. People talk about sham marriages.

Sham means a fake/hoax doesn’t it rather than shambles which means something is a right mess

Not necessarily disordered or a mess - it means fake or counterfeit.

A con, or something fake.

It does make me laugh when I see it on the internet though, where people mean SAHM.

@SierraHotel I thought he had misheard it too! He was delighted!

I’ve never heard of sham as an abbreviation of shambles!

Sham = fake / false
Shambles = disorganised

I have never heard of a pillow sham either! The pointless scatter cushions on a bed to make it look pretty.

I would also have thought it meant something fake or fraudulent. Never ever heard of it as a pillow cover!

A sham means something fake, like a sham marriage, when someone pays someone to marry them so the can stay in a particular country.

I e always thought that it meant fake.