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Piano vs Shanghai - What's the difference?

piano | shanghai |

As a noun piano

is piano.

As a proper noun shanghai is

shanghai.

piano

English

(wikipedia piano)

Noun

(en-noun)
  • (musical instruments) A keyboard musical instrument, usually ranging over seven octaves, with white and black keys, played by pressing these keys, causing hammers to strike strings.
    • The piano in his house takes up a lot of space.
    She has been taking lessons for many years and now plays piano very well.
    He can play "Happy Birthday" on the piano .
    Most of the works by Frédéric Chopin are for the piano .

    Synonyms

    * pianoforte (dated)

    Coordinate terms

    * (keyboard instrument) cembalo, clavier, fortepiano, harpsichord, organ, synthesizer, synth

    Derived terms

    * dumb piano * electric piano * grand piano * pianola * pianist * piano accordion * piano player * player piano * square piano * upright piano

    Adjective

    (en adjective)
  • (music) Soft, quiet.
  • In extended use; quiet, subdued.
  • * 1977 , , The Honourable Schoolboy , Folio Society 2010, p. 160:
    • ‘Tradecraft'', Chris,’ Enderby put in, who liked his bit of jargon, and Martindale, still ''piano , shot him a glance of admiration.

    Adverb

    (-)
  • (music) Softly, as a musical direction (abbreviated to p. in sheet music).

    • Related terms

    * mezzo piano * mp * pianissimo * pp

    shanghai

    English

    Etymology 1

    From (etyl) , with reference to the former practice of forcibly crewing ships heading for the Orient.

    Verb

    (en verb)
  • To force or trick (someone) into joining a ship which is lacking a full crew.
  • * 1999 June 24, ‘The Resurrection of Tom Waits’, in Rolling Stone'', quoted in ''Innocent When You Dream , Orion (2006), page 256,
    • It was the strangest galley: the sounds, the steam, he's screaming at his coworkers. I felt like I'd been shanghaied .
  • To abduct or coerce.
  • * 1974 September 30, ‘ Final Report on the Activities of the Children of God',
    • Oftentimes the approach is to shanghai an unsuspecting victim.
  • To commandeer; appropriate; hijack
    • Let's see if we can shanghai a room for a couple of hours.
    Synonyms
    * press-gang

    Etymology 2

    From Scottish (m), from (etyl) (m), influenced by the Chinese city.Origins: A Short Etymological Dictionary of Modern English, by Eric Partridge, 2006, p. 613

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • A slingshot.
  • *1985 , (Peter Carey), Illywhacker , Faber and Faber 2003, p. 206:
  • *:They scrounged around the camp […] and held out their filthy wings to the feeble sun, making themselves an easy target for Charles's shanghai .

    • References