Discussion Forum—A Way with Words, a fun radio show and podcast about language

I always hear people misuse the word "shimmy" when referring to going up a pole, tree, etc., instead of "shinny." I live near Indianapolis and thought it was regional. Last night, I was reading a copy of O Magazine and saw the same error in a story about a woman scaling strips of fabric to do an aerial act. I've checked, and "shimmy" still means dancing by shaking hips and shoulders or wobbling (or a chemise), and "shinny" means to climb a pole, tree, etc.