Definition

1. Interjection:

   • An expression of mild disappointment, annoyance, or regret: Used to convey a feeling of "oh well," "darn," or "too bad" in a casual, often folksy way.
   • An expression of modesty, embarrassment, or dismissal of praise: Used to downplay a compliment, similar to "aw, it was nothing."

2. Noun (plural):

   • The outer husks of corn, nuts, or other plants: The discarded, worthless, or inedible covering of something.
   • Something of little or no value: Used figuratively to describe something trivial or worthless.

Usage Examples

• Interjection:

  • "Shucks, I forgot my keys at home." (Expressing mild annoyance.)
  • "Aw shucks, it wasn't that hard to do." (Responding modestly to praise.)
  • "Shucks, I guess we'll have to try again tomorrow." (Expressing resigned disappointment.)

• Noun:

  • We threw the corn shucks into the compost pile. (Referring to the husks of corn.)
  • His opinion isn't worth shucks to me. (Figuratively meaning it has no value.)

Advanced Usage

• "Aw shucks": A common, stereotypical phrase associated with a humble, down-home, or unsophisticated personality. It often implies a folksy, self-deprecating attitude.

  • He gave an "aw shucks" grin when they thanked him for his heroism.

• "Not worth shucks": An idiomatic expression meaning completely worthless or of no value.

  • That old car isn't worth shucks anymore.

Variants and Related Words

• Shuck (verb): To remove the outer covering (husk, shell) from something, such as shucking corn or oysters.
  • It took an hour to shuck all the oysters for the party.

Synonyms

• Interjection: Darn, drat, rats, heck, phooey.
• Noun (for worthless thing): Trifle, triviality, nothing.

Related Phrases

• Shucks and jive: (Slang, dated/offensive) Refers to deceptive or evasive talk, though this is a separate, complex idiom not directly derived from the simple word "shucks."

Related Idioms

• "Shuck it off": A less common variant of "shrug it off," meaning to dismiss or ignore something bothersome.
  • Don't worry about the criticism; just shuck it off.

Noun

1. an expression of disappointment or irritation
2. something of little value
   • his promise is not worth a damn
   • not worth one red cent
   • not worth shucks