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."

In a medical context it can be applied to the control in a clinical trial involving surgery (where they do all the things not associated with the intervention being tested, but not the intervention obvs). Not sure that was the intended context, although in this sense I think it does indeed mean 'fake'.

Yes, a pillow sham is a false front.

I've never heard of a pillow sham. According to the internet, "sham" as short for that is a North American term.

It's quite an old fashioned term to me. Where was it used OP that your DS picked it up?

Sham is a flash front/ scam unless you're in a certain part of NI, in which case it's slang for mate i.e. alright sham

false front

@wowfudge in a year 1 phonics class. The teacher asked for words starting with "sh", his friend said "sham, pillow sham!"

Sham in Ireland is for friend

You do know you could use google to find this out?

Sham means false or fake or a trick.

It isn't an abbreviation for shambles and saying 'the business deal was a comlete sham' doesn't mean the deal was a shambles. In that context it would mean the transaction was fake in some way. Not a real transaction.

A sham marriage is a fake marriage such as marrying to get citizenship without any intention of having a committed loving partnership with your spouse.

@Itsabeautifuldayheyhey sorry, I should have put I knew this meaning of sham, not pillow sham!

A shambles correctly is a butcher's slaughterhouse.

Pillow shams are what Americans call pillow cases

Ooo well you learn something new every day...

https://www.dadabc.com/blogs/news/pillow-cases-vs-pillow-shams-whats-the-difference

Very weird that that was used in a phonics class in the UK unless the kid was American?

@ShebaShimmyShake

I've never heard of a pillow sham. According to the internet, "sham" as short for that is a North American term.

Yes, I’ve come across it in US novels — I think pillow shams are referenced in Laura Ingalls Wilder somewhere.

Wasn't there a TV character who used to say something about "this is a sham, of a mockery, of a mockery, of a sham"? Anyone help me out, CBA to try to Google. Or am I imagining it?

I understand a sham to be a con or trick rather than an abbreviated shambles.

Sham is not short for shambles.

A shambles is a disorganised mess, like the street the Shambles in York where the butchers traded.

A sham is a facade, a fake.

Phoney, fake, not what it seems, pretend, false.

Sham to me means a fake.

Surprised how many people haven't heard the word sham.

It's a perfectly ordinary English word.

Where I’m from (Ireland) sham means ‘mate’.

Although it’s only really used by people in their early to mid 20s I’d say.

It would be typical to hear younger fellas saying to their friends ‘alright sham what’s the craic?’

Well, I assume the pillow sham is a ‘sham’ because it’s a sort of decorative false front that hides the actual pillow-case.

I thought sham (deception) and shambles (a chaotic mess, possibly originally from the butchery of livestock in medieval times) had a different etymological basis.

Sorry, stripes, I didn't see your post.

Yes, it’s an ordinary word. Just asked DS and he knew.