verb
shaft
To cheat people or treat them unfairly.
The company shafts its workers by refusing to pay overtime.
Etymology
The unfair-treatment verb developed from vulgar slang built on shaft. It became a general term for exploiting or mistreating someone.
More examples
- My landlord shafted me out of my security deposit.
- I always get shafted when we divide up the weekend shifts.
- You're shafting your partner by taking all the credit.
Forms
shaft · shafts · shafted · shafting