noun, a piece of privately issued paper currency, especially, none poorly secured and depreciated, a piece of paper money of low denomination.
"Davenport's the sort so tight he squeaks when he walks. I'll wager he gave Captain Jack no more'n a shinplaster or two."
In the past, "shinplaster" referred to a small, square-patch of paper that was used as a plaster in treating sore legs. In 19th-century American, the term "shinplaster" was applied to another paper Band-Aid fix: the privately issued poorly secured notes substituted for the coins withdrawn from current circulation. The lexical currency of "shinplaster" spiked when it began being used for the paper money in denominations of less than a dollar--aka "fractional currency"--issed by the U.S. government after the depression of 1837 and during the Civil War. In 1870, the United States' neighbour to the north, Canada, issued its own shinplaster, a 25-cent note, which fell into disuse in the early 20th century.
hugs always
karen charlie and enzo
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