The expression “coffee break” was first attested in 1952 in glossy magazine advertisements by the Pan-American Coffee Bureau.
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
Recent Word Finds
Word of the Day
31 March 2025
IMPROVISED
(adjective) done or made using whatever is available; “crossed the river on improvised bridges”; “the survivors used jury-rigged fishing gear”; “the rock served as a makeshift hammer”
Coffee Trivia
