Sekirov Dictionary

shy

/ʃaɪ/

adjective 5
noun 7
verb 5
forms 10
phrases 4

adjective5

•
quiet and not comfortable around people, especially new ones, and slow to become friendly
- He is very shy with strangers.
•
(informal) Short, insufficient or less than.
- By our count your shipment came up two shy of the bill of lading amount.
- It is just shy of a mile from here to their house.
•
Easily frightened; timid.
- The horses of the army, and those of the royal stables, having been daily led before me, were no longer shy, but would come up to my very feet without starting. — 1726
•
Cautious; wary; suspicious.
- We grant, although he had much wit, / H' was very shy of using it; / As being loth to wear it out, / And therefore bore it not about, — 1662
•
(US, UK) Less likely to reveal whom they will vote for than average, chiefly in the context of the collective effect this has on polling accuracy.
- Pollsters need to remember the shy Tory factor.

noun7

•
An act of throwing.
- Foker discharged a prodigious bouquet at her, and even Smirke made a feeble shy with a rose, and blushed dreadfully when it fell into the pit — 1848
(Scotland) A throw-in from the sidelines, using two hands above the head.
A place for throwing.
A sudden start aside, as by a horse.
(Scotland) In shinty, the act of tossing the ball above the head and hitting it with the shaft of the caman to bring it back into play after it has been hit out of the field.
In the Eton College wall game, a point scored by lifting the ball against the wall in the calx.
(no longer used) A gibe; a sneer.

verb5

To avoid due to caution, embarrassment or timidness.
•
To jump back in fear.
- The horse shied at the unexpected approach of a motor vehicle.
•
To throw sideways with a jerk; to fling.
- "I was thinking, sir," I answered, "that I should like to shy the Diamond into the quicksand, and settle the question in that way." — 1868
(Scotland) To throw a ball with two hands above the head, especially when it has crossed the side lines in a football (soccer) match.
(Scotland) To hit the ball back into play from the sidelines in a shinty match.

forms

shied · shying · shies · shieth · more shy · shier · shyer · most shy · shiest · shyest

Phrases with shy

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