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

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