the largest city of China; located in the east on the Pacific; one of the largest ports in the world
"Shanghai is a bustling metropolis where millions flock to work and trade at its massive international port."
A tall dandy.
"The farmer brought several shanghais to market, their distinctive long legs and white feathers catching the sunlight."
A slingshot.
A type of long-legged chicken believed to be of Asian origin.
In plain English: Shanghai is slang for being tricked into joining something against your will, usually by force or deception.
"The ship was forced to dock after its captain refused any further shanghaiing attempts by greedy recruiters."
To force or trick (someone) into joining a ship as part of the crew.
"In the 19th century, unscrupulous recruiters would wait at ports to shanghai sailors who were reluctant to join their ships."
In plain English: To shanghai someone means to trick them into going somewhere against their will, usually by pretending they have no other choice.
"The desperate workers were shanghaied onto ships by unscrupulous recruiters who promised them high wages but forced them into labor instead."
Usage: The verb shanghai means to coerce someone, often through deception or physical force, into becoming a member of a merchant vessel's crew against their will. This term is historically specific and should not be confused with its modern noun form referring to the city in China.
A direct-administered municipality, a major port city in eastern China, between Jiangsu and Zhejiang, comprising Shanghai proper and its suburbs.
"When traveling through east China, be sure to visit the bustling metropolis of Shanghai, which serves as a vital gateway between the provinces of Jiangsu and Zhejiang."
The word "shanghai" comes from the name of an important Chinese port and entered English in 1871 as a verb describing how ship captains would force sailors into service on West Coast vessels bound for the Pacific. Originally referring to this specific practice of press-ganging crews, it has since come to mean any form of forced recruitment or deception used to get someone onto a boat.