No great shakes

[Hgrove]

What does it mean and where does it come from? Thanks.

[Quizmonster]

It means 'of no great significance or ability' as in "He's no great shakes at tennis." The origin is probably from throwing dice. In dice games, it is normal to shake the dice in your hand or in a cup before throwing them onto the table. If the results are consistently not very good, then someone might possibly refer to you as being 'no great shakes' at the game.