shiny, adj. — Green’s Dictionary of Slang

shiny adj.

1. (also shiney) smart, succesful.

1887		in G.D. Atkin House Scraps 166: The young ’un goes to music-halls, / And does the la-di-da; / We are a shiney family, We are! we are! we are!
1906		Sun. Times (Perth) 4 Mar. 4/8: ’E ’ad one of the shinest tarts in Perth.
1913		Truth (Sydney) 23 Feb. 5/1: When they're strolling out together, / They do look most tony. Sir; / Quite demure, and werry shiney.

2. (US, also shinny) tipsy.

1890–1904		Farmer & Henley Sl. and Its Analogues VI 179/1: Shinny (or Shiny), adj. (American).—Drunk.
1907		J.W. Carr ‘Word-List from Hampstead, N.H.’ in DN III iii 199: shiny, adj. Mildly intoxicated. ‘Joe was a little bit shiny to-night.’.
1907		S.E. White Arizona Nights 112: ‘Who’s your woolly friend?’ the shiny Jew asks of the girls.

3. happy.

1999

Indep. on Sun. Real Life 19 Sept. 5: ‘Shiny’ means happy, he says.

SE in slang uses

In compounds

shiny Bob (n.) [Bob n.¹]

1. (Aus.) one who has a very high opinion of themselves.

1941		Baker Popular Dict. Aus. Sl.
1955		N. Pulliam I Travelled a Lonely Land (1957) 65: He [...] turned into a regular shiny Bob as the evening gurgled and slurped along.
1959		D. Niland Gold in the Streets (1966) 196: Just the shiny bob, ain’t you.

2. see the shiny bob under bob n.³

shiny-bum

see separate entries.

shiny button (n.)

see button n.¹ (2c)

shiny lizard (n.)

a body louse.

1918

L.N. Smith Lingo of No Man’s Lnd 24: COOTE This is a species of lice with extraordinary biting ability [...] also called ‘seam squirrel,’ ‘trouser rabbit’ or ‘shiny lizard’.

shiny ten (n.) [? late 19C, ‘The Shiny Tenth’: the 10th Royal Hussars]

(bingo) the number ten.

1943

M. Harrison Reported Safe Arrival 83: The two Air Force corporals who ran the Housey-Housey game [...] burst into their esoteric chanting of: ‘Kelley’s Eye ... Shiny Ten’.