zilch
noun
No English definition recorded for this entry.
L330714 on Wikidata ↗Wiktionary
Pronunciation: /zɪlt͡ʃ/
adj
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.
- No, zero, non-existent.
“Zilch, adj. Nothing, zero...”
“...gorgeous faces but zilch talent...”
name
Etymology: From German Zilch. Found in America since at least the 1860s. As a 1930s placeholder surname of uncertain etymology, the eventual etymon of zilch.
- A surname from German.
noun
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.
- A nobody: a person who is worthless in importance or character.
“President Henry P. Zilch. Chairman of the Board Charles D. Zilch. Treasurer Otto Zilch.”
“Bernarr MacZilch [for Bernarr Macfadden] and His Dynamic-Hooey System... The WEAKLING Who Became 'The World's Most Perfect Ass!'”
- Nothing, zero.
“Her search for decent home-made winter clothes came up with zilch, so she had to get imported stuff.”
“"If the homeless wind up with zilch," James retorted, veiling his indignation behind a malevolent smile, "it's because they deserve zilch."”
verb
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.
- To cause to score nothing, to thoroughly defeat.
“We zilched them on that rubber.”
“My favorite film of 1989 got zilched... That would be Field of Dreams.”