SHAM

Where it comes from

Probably a dialectal form of shame. Alternatively, sham is a term that is used to describe the bottom thick base of a glass, usually a wine or stem glass, where the stem meets the bulbous shape bowl. Glass manufacturers would increase the "sham" to deceive customers into thinking a glass holds more than it actually does. For example, a manufacturer would mold a 12oz glass with a larger "sham" in the base to reduce the volume of the glasses to fit 10-11oz of liquid. By increasing the bulge in the base, usually where the stem meets the glass, it is almost impossible to visually distinguish the difference. This gives the illusion the glass size is the same as any another 12oz glass, but the inside will hold a lesser volume. Later, bringing use to the term "you got shammed" when one party tries to hide something and/or get over on the other party using deceiving tactics. (Can this etymology be sourced?)

Etymology via Wiktionary (CC BY-SA).

SHAM in OUTLIER

Players have found it on 25 boards so far. 54 players have found it across Outlier's history.

It first turned up on Day 28, 17 June 2026. The most recent board was Day 107, 4 September 2026. Nobody has seen it on a board for 2 days.

First found by a player on Day 28, 17 June 2026.

Built from these letters

SHAM starts with S and ends with M. Sorted, its letters read AHMS - the shape to hunt for when the grid is scrambled. No letter is used twice, which makes it an isogram.

Same letters, different word

2 other words use exactly these letters. Worth knowing at the board: an anagram fits a grid the same way.

Words that start SHAM

Its neighbours in the OUTLIER dictionary - shortest first.

Also seen on Day 28