Green’s Dictionary of Slang

1. useless, worthless.

1824		Pierce Egan’s Life in London 19 Dec. 376/3: The brogue might have had a better effect in Stony Batter or Smock-alley ; in Blue Blazes or at Saltpetre Bank it would be pronounced foolish, and among the Sheenies ‘Chice’.
1846		Swell’s Night Guide 59: Why, before I’d impose on the public in that ’ere famming fake and do the shisy dodge for scran and dossery, I’d pad the road with barkers and fake the denarley from the stiffum’s cly.
1848		Ladies’ Repository (N.Y.) Oct. VIII:37 317/1: Shise, Mean; ragged; loafer-like.
c.1850		G. Thompson Anna Mowbray 10: The pigs are after us and these shyse coves [footnote: loafers] must not spot us.
1865		Leaves from Diary of Celebrated Burglar 52/2: The renowned (!) but now ‘shise’ Jemmy Taylor.

2. out of funds; impoverished.

1838		Crim.-Con. Gaz. 1 Sept. 24/3: The news flying like wildfire that Nathan, Mo, or David vos in shice.
1844		New Sprees of London 3: I’ll introduce you to [...] the Lushing, Chanting, and Night-cribs [...] where you may ddoss lush, or feed, from the slap club houses of St. James' to the shysiest of the Cadgers’ Kens in the back slums.
1865		Leaves from Diary of Celebrated Burglar 64/1: After all this was paid for, we found ourselves next to ‘shise’ in the ‘sugar’ line.

3. (also shicer) of money, counterfeit.

1875		Cincinnati Enquirer 4 Oct. n.p.: Three $5 bills of the ‘queer’ were found on their persons [...] On searching a trunk six more of the ‘shyse’ bills were found.
1877		Five Years’ Penal Servitude 128: Seeing how the fellow was acting he sent him two ‘shise’ notes, which gave him a dose that ‘cooked’ him.
1880		Leicester Chron. 6 Nov. 9/1: Two other people who were in the shop when ‘Ginger’ passed the ‘shicer flimsy’ were fetched.
1882		Dundee Courier 20 Oct. 7/6: It’s shice coin. I’ve passed a lot of it among the navvies; they’re after me.
1889		B. Mitford Fire Trumpet II 221: Turned up again like the proverbial ‘shise’ coin.