schneid

noun

ˈshnīd 

US slang

: a losing streak (as in sports)

If the AFC breaks the Super Bowl schneid this season, it'll be an upset …

—Peter King

—usually used in the phrases on the schneid and off the schneid

It seems so hard to believe now, but back in April the New York Yankees, the team that would break the record for single season wins, started its season on the schneid. An 0-3 start? That had serious schneid written all over it.

—Bill Duryea

D.C. United (0-3-1) finally got off the schneid [=ended its losing streak] Thursday night, collecting its first point of the season in a 1-1 tie …

—George Solomon

Examples of schneid in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Mainland China and Hong Kong remained on the schneid, i.e. losing streak, despite Bessent’s strong reputation and previous comments that tariffs are simply a negotiating tool. —Brendan Ahern, Forbes, 25 Nov. 2024

Indianapolis has gone nine consecutive seasons without a win in its opener, coming closest to breaking the schneid with a furious comeback to tie the Texans in Houston a year ago. —The Indianapolis Star, 9 Sep. 2023

In The week after Kansas handed the ignominious title of Power Five conference team with the longest streak of being unranked to Illinois, the Illini are now off the schneid in their second year under coach Bret Bielema. —Ralph D. Russo, Chicago Tribune, 9 Oct. 2022

The week after Kansas handed the ignominious title of Power Five conference team with the longest streak of being unranked to Illinois, the Illini are now off the schneid in their second year under coach Bret Bielema. —Ralph D. Russo, ajc, 9 Oct. 2022

Word History

Etymology

earlier, "failure to score a point (in gin rummy)," short for schneider in same sense, earlier, as adjective, "having scored 30 or fewer points (in skat)," borrowed from German Schneider, literally, "tailor," in the idioms aus dem Schneider sein "to have scored more than 30 points (in skat)," literally, "to be out of the tailor," (im) Schneider sein, Schneider werden "to score less than 30 points," literally, "to be/become (a) tailor / be in the tailor"; Schneider going back to Middle High German snīdære, derivative (with -ære, agent suffix, going back to Old High German -āri -er entry 2) of snīden "to cut," going back to Old High German snīdan, going back to Germanic *snīþan- (whence Old English snīðan "to cut," Old Saxon snīthan, Old Norse sníða, Gothic sneiþan), of uncertain origin

Note: The German card-playing idioms aus dem Schneider sein, im Schneider sein, etc., presumably allude to stereotypes of the tailor as poor, miserable, timid, or the like, as reflected in such expressions as (armer) Schneider "poor wretch" (literally, "poor tailor"), er ist ein Schneider "he looks like death warmed-over" (literally, "he is a tailor"), frieren wie ein Schneider "be cold to the bone" (literally, "freeze like a tailor").

First Known Use

1960, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing schneid

• got off the schneid
• off the schneid
• on the schneid