[shoot off one’s mouth] or [shoot off one’s face] {v. phr.}, {slang} To give opinions without knowing all the facts; talk as if you know everything. •/Tom has never been to Florida, but he’s always shooting his mouth off about how superior Florida is to California./ •/I want to study the problem before I shoot off my face./ •/The editor of the newspaper is always shooting his mouth off about the trouble in Africa./
[shoot one’s wad]{v. phr.}{slang}, {colloquial} 1. To spend all of one’s money. •/We’ve shot our wad for the summer and can’t buy any new garden furniture./ 2. To say everything that is on one’s mind. •/Joe feels a lot better now that he’s shot his wad at the meeting./
[shoot out]{v.} 1. To fight with guns until one person or side is wounded or killed; settle a fight by shooting. — Used with "it". •/The cornered bank robbers decided to shoot it out with the police./ •/The moment she opened the door, the cat shot out and ran around the house./ •/During the last half-minute of the race, Dick shot out in front of the other runners./
[shoot questions at]{v. phr.} To interrogate rapidly and vigorously. •/The attorney for the prosecution shot one question after another at the nervous witness./
[shoot straight] or [shoot square] {v.}, {informal} To act fairly; deal honestly. •/You can trust that salesman; he shoots straight with his customers./ •/We get along well because we always shoot square with each other./ — [straight shooter] or [square shooter] {n.}, {informal} /Bill is a square-shooter./ — [straight-shooting] {adj.} •/The boys all liked the straight-shooting coach./
[shoot the breeze] or [bat the breeze] or [fan the breeze] or [shoot the bull] {v. phr.}, {slang} To talk. •/Jim shot the breeze with his neighbor while the children were playing./ •/Come into the kitchen and we’ll bat the breeze over a cup of coffee./ •/The women were shooting the breeze about Jim’s latest trouble with the police./ •/The fishermen were shooting the bull about the school of sail fish they had seen./
[shoot the works]{v. phr.}, {slang} 1. To spare no expense or effort; get or give everything. •/Billy shot the works when he bought his bicycle; he got a bell, a light, a basket, and chrome trimmings on it, too./ •/The Greens shot the works on their daughter’s wedding reception./ 2. To go the limit; take a risk. •/The motor of Tom’s boat was dangerously hot, but he decided to shoot the works and try to win the race./
[shoot up]{v.} 1. To grow quickly. •/Billy had always been a small boy, but when he was thirteen years old he began to shoot up./ 2. To arise suddenly. •/As we watched, flames shot up from the roof of the barn./ 3. {informal} To shoot or shoot at recklessly; shoot and hurt badly. •/The cowboys got drunk and shot up the bar room./ •/The soldier was shot up very badly./ 4. To take drugs by injection. •/A heroin addict will shoot up as often as he can./
[shop] See: CLOSE UP SHOP, TALK SHOP.
[shop around for]{v. phr.} To make the rounds of various commercial establishments in order to find the most economical answer for one’s needs. •/We’ve been shopping around for a larger condominium that is affordable, and near the university./
[shoplifter]{n.} A thief who steals things from a store. •/The TV camera identified the shoplifter, who was then arrested and sentenced to jail./
[shopping center]{n.} A place usually for neighborhood shopping, where there is a group of stores and shops inside of a large parking lot. •/There is a bowling alley at the nearest shopping center./ •/All the stores in our shopping center stay open until nine o’clock on Friday evenings./
[shopworn]{adj.} A piece of merchandise that is offered below the usual price because it is slightly damaged or soiled. •/Although shopworn, the jacket was perfectly usable, so he eagerly bought it./
[shore leave]{n.} Permission given to a man in the Navy to leave his ship and go where he wants for a certain length of time. •/Jim went to visit New York when he was given three days' shore leave./ •/The ship did not dock long enough for the sailors to get shore leave./
[shore patrol]{n.} The police of a navy. •/The sailors who were fighting in town were arrested by the shore patrol./ •/The shore patrol was ordered to search every sailor who went on board the ship./
[shore up]{v.} To add support to (something) where weakness is shown; make (something) stronger where support is needed; support. •/When the flood waters weakened the bridge, it was shored up with steel beams and sandbags until it could be rebuilt./ •/The coach sent in a substitute guard to shore up the line when Fitchburg began to break through./
[shorn] See: GOD TEMPERS THE WIND TO THE SHORN LAMB.
[short] See: CAUGHT SHORT, FALL SHORT, FOR SHORT, IN BRIEF or IN SHORT, IN SHORT ORDER, IN SHORT SUPPLY, MAKE SHORT WORK OF, RUN SHORT, SELL SHORT, THE LONG AND THE SHORT.
[short and sweet]{adj.} Brief and to the point. •/Henry’s note to his father was short and sweet. He wrote, "Dear Dad, please send me $5. Love, Henry."/
[shortchange]{v. phr.} To return less money to a customer in a store than is coming to him or her; cheat. •/I was shortchanged by the cashier when I got seven dollars back instead of eight./
[shortcut]{n.} A road shorter than the one that people normally take. •/We can save twenty minutes if we take this shortcut over the hill./
[short end]{n.} The worst or most unpleasant part. •/The new boy got the short end of it because all the comfortable beds in the dormitory had been taken before he arrived./ •/The girls who served refreshments at the party got the short end of it. When everybody had been served, there was no cake left for them./
[shorthanded]{adj.} Understaffed; short on workers. •/With several employees gone for the holiday weekend and two dozen people in line, the rent-a-car agency suddenly found itself terribly shorthanded./
[short haul]{n.} A short distance; a short trip. •/The Scoutmaster said that it was just a short haul to the lake./ •/The man from the moving company said they did not make short hauls, so we hired a truck to move our furniture three blocks to our new house./ Contrast: LONG HAUL.
[short list] or [short-listed] {v. phr.} To place on the list of select finalists for a job. •/Only three of the twenty-seven applicants were short-listed for the assistant professorial vacancy in our department./
[short of(1)]{adj. phr.} 1. Less or worse than. •/Don’t do anything short of your best./ 2. Not having enough. •/We did not buy anything because we were short of money./ •/The girls were asked to wait on tables because the kitchen was short of help./
[short of(2)]{adv. phr.} Away from; at a distance from. •/The day’s drive still left us a hundred miles short of the ocean./ •/The golfer’s shot fell far short of the hole./
[short of breath]{adj.} Panting and wheezing. •/He ran up six flights of stairs so rapidly that he was short of breath for several minutes./
[short-order cook]{n.} A person who prepares food that cooks quickly. •/Bruce found a summer job as a short-order cook in a drive-in restaurant./ •/The new diner needs another short-order cook./ Compare: SLING HASH.
[short shrift]{n.} Little or no attention. — Usually used with "get" or "give". •/In books about jobs, women’s work is consistently given short shrift./
[short-spoken]{adj.} Using so few words that you seem impatient or angry; speaking in a short impatient way; saying as little as possible in an unfriendly way. •/Jim is always short-spoken when he is tired./ •/We were hoping to borrow Dad’s car, but he was so short-spoken when he came home that we were afraid to ask./
[shot] See: BIG CHEESE or BIG SHOT, BY A LONG SHOT, CALL ONE’S SHOT, CALL THE SHOTS, FOUL SHOT, LONG SHOT.
[shot in the arm]{n. phr.}, {informal} Something inspiring or encouraging. •/The general’s appearance was a shot in the arm for the weary soldiers./ •/We were ready to quit, but the coach’s talk was a shot in the arm./
[shot in the dark]{n. phr.} An attempt without much hope or chance of succeeding; a wild guess. •/A was just a shot in the dark, but I got the right answer to the teacher’s question./
[shot through with] Full of. •/His speech was shot through with praise for the president./ •/Jane’s letter was shot through with hints for a pony./
[shoulder] See: CHIP ON ONE’S SHOULDER, COLD SHOULDER, GOOD HEAD ON ONE’S SHOULDERS, HEAD AND SHOULDERS, PUT ONE’S SHOULDER TO THE WHEEL, ON ONE’S SHOULDERS, RUB ELBOWS or RUB SHOULDERS, SQUARE ONE’S SHOULDERS, WEIGHT OF THE WORLD ON ONE’S SHOULDERS.
[shoulder to cry on] or [to lean on] {n. phr.} A sympathetic person who is willing to listen to one’s complaints and troubles. •/When Ken left her, Donna needed a shoulder to lean on, and Bob was right there to fill the role./
[shoulder to shoulder]{adv. phr.} 1. One beside the other; together. •/The three boys were shoulder to shoulder all during the working hours./ Compare: SIDE BY SIDE. 2. Each helping the other; in agreement; together. — Often used with "stand". •/We can win the fight if we all stand shoulder to shoulder./ Compare: SEE EYE TO EYE.
[shoulder to the wheel] See: PUT ONE’S SHOULDER TO THE WHEEL.
[shout down]{v.} To object loudly to; defeat by shouting. •/Grace suggested that we give our club money to charity, but she was shouted down./ •/The crowd shouted down the Mayor’s suggestions./
[shout from the housetops] or [shout from the rooftops] {v. phr.}, {informal} To tell everyone; broadcast, especially one’s own personal business. •/Mr. Clark was so happy when his son was born that he shouted the news from the housetops./ •/When Mary bleached her hair, her neighbors shouted it from the housetops./
[shouting] See: ALL OVER BUT THE SHOUTING.
[shove down one’s throat] or [ram down one’s throat] {v. phr.}, {informal} To force you to do or agree to (something not wanted or liked.) •/We didn’t want Mr. Bly to speak at our banquet, but the planning committee shoved him down our throats./ •/The president was against the idea, but the club members rammed it down his throat./
[shove off] See: PUSH OFF.
[show] See: GET THE SHOW ON THE ROAD, GO TO SHOW or GO TO PROVE, ROAD SHOW, STEAL THE SHOW, TALENT SHOW, VARIETY SHOW, WHOLE CHEESE or WHOLE SHOW.
[show a clean pair of heels] See: TAKE TO ONE’S HEELS.
[show around]{v. phr.} To act as a host or guide to someone; to show newly arrived people or strangers what’s what and where. •/When Gordon and Rose arrived in Hawaii for the first time, their host showed them around the islands./
[show cause]{v. phr.} To give a reason or explanation. •/The judge asked the defendants to show cause why they should not be held without bail./
[showdown]{n.} A final challenge or confrontation during which both sides have to use all of their resources. •/You cannot know a country’s military strength until a final showdown occurs./
[showgirl]{n.} One who works as an entertainer in a bar or nightclub, musical show, etc. •/Several famous Hollywood stars actually started their careers as showgirls./
[show in] or [out] or [up] or [to the door] {v. phr.} To usher; conduct; accompany. •/"My husband will show you in," Mary said to the guests when they arrived at the door./
[showoff]{n.} A boastful person. •/Jim always has to be the center of attention; he is an insufferable showoff./
