verb
Shawshank
verb
1
(slang) To escape from confinement, especially through patient, secretive effort over a long time.
"He shawshanked his way out of the debt trap by quietly saving for years."
How to Use Shawshank
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishInternet slang inspired by the film, meaning to escape a bad situation slowly and cleverly, often unnoticed until it's done.
When to use it
Very informal and mostly used online; not standard dictionary vocabulary.
Word Forms
Shawshanked past tense, Shawshanks plural, Shawshanks singular
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He _____ his way out of the debt trap by quietly saving for years.
Etymology
From the fictional Shawshank State Penitentiary in Stephen King's novella and its 1994 film adaptation The Shawshank Redemption, in which a prisoner escapes after tunnelling out over many years.