Idiom: looking for a fair shake

[Rembo]

English Language Tests, Intermediate level

ESL/EFL Test #465 "English Slang Idioms (207)", question 1

"I am going to have to quit my job here. I came here looking for a fair ......... and that isn't happening. Every time I say something to the boss's kid about the safety violations he is perpetuating, he runs off to his dad and tells him that I am bullying him. Then his dad gets mad at me and tells me to leave him alone. I can't work as the safety officer here without support from management," Bob told Lewis.

(a) hair
(b) weight
(c) shake
(d) rattle

English Language Tests, Intermediate level

ESL/EFL Test #465 "English Slang Idioms (207)", answer 1

"I am going to have to quit my job here. I came here looking for a fair shake and that isn't happening. Every time I say something to the boss's kid about the safety violations he is perpetuating, he runs off to his dad and tells him that I am bullying him. Then his dad gets mad at me and tells me to leave him alone. I can't work as the safety officer here without support from management," Bob told Lewis.

Correct answer: (c) shake
_________________________

why shake?

Rembo

[Mister Micawber]

.
It is an idiom. From an 1848 dictionary:

FAIR SHAKE. A fair trade; a satisfactory bargain or exchange. A New England vulgarism.
_________________
Canadian-American native speaker
who teaches English for a living at Mister Micawber's
ESL cafe: Interview with Mister Micawber