give somebody the shaft

give (one) the shaft

To exploit, cheat, or take advantage of one; to treat one unfairly. Whenever a promotion comes around, management always manages to give me the shaft. Because we live in a tiny, rural community, we feel like the government tends to give us the shaft.
See also: give, shaft
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.

give somebody the ˈshaft

(American English, informal) treat somebody unfairly: It seems to me that the big corporations are keeping all the money for themselves and giving the shaft to ordinary consumers, as usual.
See also: give, shaft, somebody
Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary
See also:
  • drive (one) out of office
  • force (one) out of office
  • force out of office
  • give (one) (one's) head
  • give head
  • give somebody their head
  • give someone their head
  • cooking for one
  • 1FTR
  • as one door closes, another opens