no great shakes
idiom
informal
: not very good or skillful at something
He's no great shakes as a poker player.
Examples of no great shakes in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
And God Created Woman is certainly no great shakes as a work of cinema.
—
Peter Tonguette, The Washington Examiner, 9 Jan. 2026
The Mountaineers are no great shakes, but Morgantown is a nasty place for newbies to get their feet wet.
—Kyle Newman, Denver Post, 7 Nov. 2025
Again, no great shakes, but considering his safety blanket status all over the field, there’s considerable value here.
—Tony Blengino, Forbes, 16 Oct. 2024
Its overall handling of mental illness is no great shakes either.
—Gary Goldstein, Los Angeles Times, 6 Oct. 2023
Riley was no great shakes as an NBA player.
—Alan Sepinwall, Rolling Stone, 21 Mar. 2022
While her Forbes article was no great shakes, Heather Morgan clearly understood that circumstances had changed—and might favor criminals like her.
—Ben McKenzie, The New Republic, 10 Mar. 2022
It could be described as no great shakes.
—Washington Post, 22 Mar. 2021
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Peter Tonguette, The Washington Examiner, 9 Jan. 2026
The Mountaineers are no great shakes, but Morgantown is a nasty place for newbies to get their feet wet.
—Kyle Newman, Denver Post, 7 Nov. 2025
Again, no great shakes, but considering his safety blanket status all over the field, there’s considerable value here.
—Tony Blengino, Forbes, 16 Oct. 2024
Its overall handling of mental illness is no great shakes either.
—Gary Goldstein, Los Angeles Times, 6 Oct. 2023
Riley was no great shakes as an NBA player.
—Alan Sepinwall, Rolling Stone, 21 Mar. 2022
While her Forbes article was no great shakes, Heather Morgan clearly understood that circumstances had changed—and might favor criminals like her.
—Ben McKenzie, The New Republic, 10 Mar. 2022
It could be described as no great shakes.
—Washington Post, 22 Mar. 2021
Cite this Entry
“No great shakes.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/no%20great%20shakes. Accessed 2 Feb. 2026.
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