[shape up] <v. phr.>, <informal> 1. To begin to act or work right; get along satisfactorily. * /If the new boy doesn't begin to shape up soon, he'll have to leave school./ * /"How is the building of the new gym coming along?" "Fine. It's shaping up very well."/ 2. To show promise. * /Plans for our picnic are shaping up very well./
[shape up or ship out] <v. phr.>, <informal> To either improve one's disposition or behavior, or quit or leave. * /When Paul neglected to carry out his part of the research work that Professor Brown had assigned him with for the fifth time, the professor cried, "Shape up, or ship out, Paul. I have lost my patience with you!"/
[sharp] See: LOOK SHARP.
[sharp as a tack] <adj. phr.> 1. Very neatly and stylishly dressed * /That new boy always looks sharp as a tack in class./ 2. Very intelligent; smart; quick-witted. * /Tom is sharp as a tack; he got 100 on every test./
[shed light on] or upon See: CAST LIGHT ON; THROW LIGHT ON.
[sheep] See: WOLF IN SHEEP'S CLOTHING.
[sheepskin] <n.> Diploma. * /Dr. Miller has half a dozen different sheepskins hanging on the wall of his office./
[sheet] See: SCANDAL SHEET, THREE SHEETS IN THE WIND or THREE SHEETS TO THE WIND.
[shelf] See: ON THE SHELF.
[shell] See: IN ONE'S SHELL or INTO ONE'S SHELL, OUT OF ONE'S SHELL.
[shell out] <v.>, <informal> To pay or spend. * /Dick had to shell out a lot of money for his new car./
[shift for oneself] <v. phr.> To live or act independently with no help, guidance or protection from others; take care of yourself. * /Mrs. McCarthy was forced to shift for herself after her husband died./
[shine] See: RAIN OR SHINE, TAKE A SHINE TO.
[shine up to] <v.>, <slang> To try to please; try to make friends with. * /Smedley shines up to all the pretty girls./
[shingle] See: HANG OUT ONE'S SHINGLE.
[ship] See: GIVE UP THE SHIP, LANDING SHIP.
[ship come in] All the money a person has wished for is received; wealth comes to a person. Used with a possessive. * /When my ship comes in, I will take a trip to Norway./ * /Mr. Brown is just waiting for his ship to come in./
[ship out] <v.> To begin a journey; leave. * /The army group shipped out for the Far East today./
[shipshape] <adj.> In perfect condition; in good order. * /After we left the islands, we left the rented car shipshape for the next driver./
[shirk one's duty] <v. phr.> To be negligent or irresponsible. * /If you continue to shirk your duty, you can expect to be fired./
[shirt] See: GIVE THE SHIRT OFF ONE'S BACK, KEEP ONE'S SHIRT ON, LOSE ONE'S SHIRT.
[shoe] See: COMFORTABLE AS AN OLD SHOE, COMMON AS AN OLD SHOE, FILL ONE'S SHOES, IF THE SHOE FITS, WEAR IT, IN ONE'S SHOES, SHAKE IN ONE'S SHOES, SADDLE SHOE, STEP INTO ONE'S SHOES, WHERE THE SHOE PINCHES.
[shoe on the other foot] The opposite is true; places are changed. * /He was my captain in the army but now the shoe is on the other foot./
[shoestring] See: ON A SHOESTRING.
[shoestring catch] <n.> A catch of a hit baseball just before it hits the ground. * /The left fielder made a shoestring catch of a line drive to end the inning./
[shoo away] <v. phr.> To frighten or chase away. * /When the children gathered around the new sports car, we shooed them away./
[shoo-in] <n.>, <informal> Someone or something that is expected to win; a favorite; sure winner. * /Chris is a shoo-in to win a scholarship./ * /Do you think he will win the election? He's a shoo-in./ * /This horse is a shoo-in. He can't miss winning./ Syn.: SURE THING(1).
[shoot ahead of] or [past] or [through] or [alongside of] <v. phr.> To move or drive ahead rapidly. * /As we had to slow down before the tunnel, a red sports car shot ahead of us./
[shoot a line] See: DROP A LINE.
[shoot from the hip] <v. phr.>, <informal> 1. To fire a gun held at the hip without aiming by aligning the barrel with one's eye. * /In many Western movies the heroic sheriff defeats the villains by shooting from the hip./ 2. To speak sincerely, frankly, and without subterfuge. * /"What kind of an administrator will Mr. Brown be?" the head of the search committee asked. "He shoots straight from the hip," he was assured./
[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."/