SHIFTY

shifting, shifty

(adjective) changing position or direction; “he drifted into the shifting crowd”; “their nervous shifting glances”; “shifty winds”

devious, shifty

(adjective) characterized by insincerity or deceit; evasive; “a devious character”; “shifty eyes”

Source: WordNet® 3.1


Etymology

Adjective

shifty (comparative shiftier, superlative shiftiest)

Subject to frequent changes in direction.

(of a person's eyes) Moving from one object to another, not looking directly and steadily at the person with whom one is speaking.

Having the appearance of being dishonest, criminal or unreliable.

Resourceful; full of, or ready with, shifts or expedients.

Source: Wiktionary


Shift"y, a.

Definition: Full of, or ready with, shifts; fertile in expedients or contrivance. Wright. Shifty and thrifty as old Greek or modern Scot, there were few things he could not invent, and perhaps nothing he could not endure. C. Kingsley.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition



RESET




Word of the Day

26 January 2025

NEGLECT

(verb) leave undone or leave out; “How could I miss that typo?”; “The workers on the conveyor belt miss one out of ten”


coffee icon

Coffee Trivia

Raw coffee beans, soaked in water and spices, are chewed like candy in many parts of Africa.

coffee icon