no great shakes
Something unexceptional, not noteworthy or special.
Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
“The new restaurant is no great shakes.”
“I tried the new action movie everyone likes, but I thought it was no great shakes.”
“Although the critics praised the author's latest novel, I found the plot to be no great shakes compared to his earlier work.”
- 01
a great deal
Very much; to a great extent; a lot; lots.
- 02
brace of shakes
A very short time.
- 03
fair shake
Reasonable, unbiased treatment; a fair deal.
- 04
give one's head a shake
To reassess the common sense of one's behaviour, ideas, etc.
- 05
go great guns
To perform particularly well; to be particularly successful.
- 06
go to great lengths
To make a major effort; to be very careful when doing something, especially to an extreme or excessive degree.
- 07
great balls of fire
Expressing great surprise.
- 08
great beyond
the afterlife.
Last updated August 10, 2026