shebang
/ʃɪˈbaŋ
/noun
1 [in singular] informal A matter, operation, or set of circumstances: the Mafia boss who’s running the whole shebang...
- It takes many forms, from contracting out construction to handing over the whole shebang under contracts loaded in favour of new operators.
- They should liquidate the whole shebang and turn over its business to an outfit that gives a stuff about customer service.
- The Russians pointed out that if they made their bullets the same diameter as the inside of the cartridge case and their barrels to match, then the whole shebang would work better.
2North American archaic A rough hut or shelter.Their only protections from the sun were ‘shebangs,’ improvised shelters constructed from blankets, rags, and pine boughs, or dug into the hard, red Georgia clay.
Origin
Mid 19th century: of unknown origin.