Shtick

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A shtick is a comic theme or gimmick. The word entered the English language from the Yiddish shtik (שטיק), related to German Stück, Polish sztuka, Cyrillic штука (all ultimately from Proto-Germanic *stukkiją), all meaning "piece", "thing" or "theatre play"; Theaterstück is the German word for play (and is a synonym of Schauspiel, literally "viewing play" in contrast to Singspiel).

The English word piece is sometimes used in a similar context (for example, a musical piece). In stand-up comedy context a near equivalent term is a "bit". Another variant is "bits of business" or just "bits". Shtick may refer to an adopted persona, usually for comedy performances, that is maintained consistently (though not necessarily exclusively) across the performer's career. In this usage, the recurring personalities adopted by Laurel and Hardy through all of their many comedy films (although they often played characters with different names and occupations) would qualify as their shtick. A comedian might maintain several different shticks of this sort, particularly if appearing in a variety show encouraging development of multiple characters, such as Saturday Night Live.

In common usage, the word shtick has also come to mean any talent, style, habit, or other eccentricity for which a person is particularly well known, even if not intended for comedic purposes. For example, a person who is known locally for an ability to eat dozens of hot dogs quickly might say that it was his shtick. Among Orthodox Jews, "shtick" can also refer to wedding shtick, in which wedding guests entertain the bride and groom through dancing, costumes, juggling, and silliness.

Many fictional characters have more thematic shticks. This is particularly true of comic book villains, who are almost always seen wearing a particular costume and behaving in ways that are consistent with a bizarre and psychotic obsession. The supervillains of Batman (collectively known as the Rogues Gallery) are especially notorious for this (see below). There are also many professional wrestlers who deliver memorable catchphrases, and/or enter arenas performing signature gestures to the tune of thematically appropriate songs, causing crowds to laugh and cheer (see below).

What may be considered non-comedic and/or religious shticks are the metaphysical domains of the numerous gods and goddesses of the world’s mythologies, who each embody a particular set of supernatural powers and (usually) a complex of spiritual values. Perhaps the most famous example is the “thunder-god,” personified by Zeus, Jupiter, Thor, Indra, and other pagan deities. It is not unusual for comic book characters and professional wrestlers alike to draw upon these mythologies in their megalomania to craft either heroic or villainous personae; indeed, there exist both a DC Comics villain and a former pro wrestler who adopted “Zeus” as their name. Some of these characters genuinely are mythological figures, such as Thor and Loki of the Marvel Comics Universe. And in lighter entertainments such as Disney’s animated film Hercules and the ‘90s TV series Hercules: The Legendary Journeys, Greek deities tend to be rendered as comedic stereotypes, causing them to have literal shticks. On the series, for example, Athena, the goddess of wisdom, wears eyeglasses, while her sister, literal sex-goddess Aphrodite, is an archetypal “dumb blonde.” And in the Disney film, death-god Hades behaves like an evil stand-up comedian, cracking grim jokes.

Because of its roots in show business, shtick has taken on the connotation of a contrived and often-used act. For this reason, journalists and commentators often apply the word disparagingly to stock replies from politicians.^[1]