zilch

Probably from Joe Zilch, a placeholder name (compare John Doe) used by Nunnally Johnson in his column in the Brooklyn Daily Eagle from 1923; in turn from Joe Zilch, an unseen character referenced in comedian Frank Tinney's stage routine.[1] Compare the rare German surname Zilch.

• (Received Pronunciation, General American) enPR: zĭlch, IPA^(key): /zɪlt͡ʃ/

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• Rhymes: -ɪltʃ

zilch (countable and uncountable, plural zilches)

1. (countable, informal, archaic) A nobody: a person who is worthless in importance or character.

   Synonyms: see Thesaurus:nonentity

   • 1931 July, Ballyhoo, Vol. I, No. 1, p. 1:

     President Henry P. Zilch. Chairman of the Board Charles D. Zilch. Treasurer Otto Zilch.

   • 1932 February, Ballyhoo, Vol. II, No. 1:

     Bernarr MacZilch [for Bernarr Macfadden] and His Dynamic-Hooey System... The WEAKLING Who Became 'The World's Most Perfect Ass!'

   • 1940, Lester V. Berrey et al., The American Thesaurus of Slang, §184:

     Dinglegoofer, Mr. Zilch, indefinite nicknames.

2. (uncountable, informal) Nothing, zero.

   Synonyms: see Thesaurus:nothing

   Her search for decent home-made winter clothes came up with zilch, so she had to get imported stuff.

   • 1991, Judith Arnold, One Good Turn, page 104:

     "If the homeless wind up with zilch," James retorted, veiling his indignation behind a malevolent smile, "it's because they deserve zilch."

zilch (not comparable)

1. (informal, chiefly US) No, zero, non-existent.
   • 1966, University of South Dakota, Current Slang:

     Zilch, adj. Nothing, zero...

   • 1977 February 3, The Telegraph, page 14:

     ...gorgeous faces but zilch talent...

zilch (third-person singular simple present zilches, present participle zilching, simple past and past participle zilched)

1. (informal, US sports) To cause to score nothing, to thoroughly defeat.
   • 1969, University of South Dakota, Current Slang:

     We zilched them on that rubber.

   • 1990 April 2, USA Today, page 20:

     My favorite film of 1989 got zilched... That would be Field of Dreams.

• shutout

• Douglas Harper (2001–2024) “zilch”, in Online Etymology Dictionary.
• “zilch, n. (and adj.).”, in OED Online ⁠, Oxford, Oxfordshire: Oxford University Press, 1986.
• “zilch, v.”, in OED Online ⁠, Oxford, Oxfordshire: Oxford University Press, 1993.