zilch

See also: Zilch

English

WOTD – 31 July 2009

Etymology

Probably from Joe Zilch, a placeholder name (compare John Doe) used by Nunnally Johnson in his column in the Brooklyn Daily Eagle from 1923; in turn from Joe Zilch, an unseen character referenced in comedian Frank Tinney's stage routine. Compare the rare German surname Zilch.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation, General American) enPR: zĭlch, IPA^(key): /zɪlt͡ʃ/

• Audio (AU)

  (file)

• Audio (UK)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɪltʃ

Noun

zilch (countable and uncountable, plural zilches)

1. (countable, informal, archaic) A nobody: a person who is worthless in importance or character.

   Synonyms: see Thesaurus:nonentity

   • 1931 July, Ballyhoo, Vol. I, No. 1, p. 1:

     President Henry P. Zilch. Chairman of the Board Charles D. Zilch. Treasurer Otto Zilch.

   • 1932 February, Ballyhoo, Vol. II, No. 1:

     Bernarr MacZilch [for Bernarr Macfadden] and His Dynamic-Hooey System... The WEAKLING Who Became 'The World's Most Perfect Ass!'

   • 1940, Lester V. Berrey et al., The American Thesaurus of Slang, §184:

     Dinglegoofer, Mr. Zilch, indefinite nicknames.

2. (uncountable, informal) Nothing, zero.

   Synonyms: see Thesaurus:nothing

   Her search for decent home-made winter clothes came up with zilch, so she had to get imported stuff.

   • 1991, Judith Arnold, One Good Turn, page 104:

     "If the homeless wind up with zilch," James retorted, veiling his indignation behind a malevolent smile, "it's because they deserve zilch."

Translations

(informal) nothing

• Esperanto: nenio (eo)
• Finnish: ei-kukaan
• French: que dalle (fr), que pouic (fr)
• German: nix (de)
• Japanese: 何も (ja) (nani mo)
• Romanian: canci (ro), ioc (ro), boacă (ro) f
• Russian: ничего́ (ru) (ničevó), (slang) ни черта́ (ni čertá), ни фига́ (ru) (ni figá), ни шиша́ (ni šišá), ни хрена́ (ru) (ni xrená), (vulgar) ни хуя́ (ru) (ni xujá), ни хера́ (ru) (ni xerá)
• Swedish: noll (sv), nolla (sv) c, ingenting (sv)
• Turkish: hiç (tr), değersiz (tr)

Adjective

zilch (not comparable)

1. (informal, chiefly US) No, zero, non-existent.
   • 1966, University of South Dakota, Current Slang:

     Zilch, adj. Nothing, zero...

   • 1977 February 3, The Telegraph, page 14:

     ...gorgeous faces but zilch talent...

Verb

zilch (third-person singular simple present zilches, present participle zilching, simple past and past participle zilched)

1. (informal, US sports) To cause to score nothing, to thoroughly defeat.
   • 1969, University of South Dakota, Current Slang:

     We zilched them on that rubber.

   • 1990 April 2, USA Today, page 20:

     My favorite film of 1989 got zilched... That would be Field of Dreams.

Synonyms

• shutout

References

• Douglas Harper (2001–2024) “zilch”, in Online Etymology Dictionary.
• “zilch, n. (and adj.).”, in OED Online ⁠, Oxford, Oxfordshire: Oxford University Press, 1986.
• “zilch, v.”, in OED Online ⁠, Oxford, Oxfordshire: Oxford University Press, 1993.