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Consult Chambers 21st Century Dictionary, The Chambers Thesaurus (1996) or Chambers Biographical Dictionary (1997 edition with amendments). Enter your search and choose your title from the drop-down menu.
shy1 adj (shyer, shyest) 1 said of a person: embarrassed or unnerved by the company or attention of others. 2 easily scared; bashful or timid. 3 (shy of something) wary or distrustful of it. 4 warily reluctant. 5 especially in poker: short of or lacking funds. 6 colloq short in payment by a specified amount • 10p shy. verb (shies, shied, shying) intrans said eg of a horse: to jump suddenly aside or back in fear; to be startled. noun (shies) an act of shying. shyly adverb. shyness noun.
ETYMOLOGY: Anglo-Saxon sceoh timid.
shy away or off to shrink from something or recoil, showing reluctance • He shied away from arguing with them • I shy away from any sign of trouble. |
shy2 verb (shies, shied, shying) to fling or throw. noun (shies) 1 a fling or throw. 2 colloq a gibe or taunt. 3 colloq an attempt or shot. 4 a coconut shy. 5 football a throw-in.
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The Chambers Dictionary (13th edition)
“Chambers is the one I keep at my right hand”- Philip Pullman.
The unrivalled dictionary for word lovers, now in its 13th edition.
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The Chambers Thesaurus
The Chambers Thesaurus (4th Edition) is a veritable treasure-trove, including the greatest selection of alternative words and phrases available in an A to Z format. -
Chambers Biographical Dictionary
“Simply all you need to know about anyone” – Fay Weldon.
Thoroughly revised and updated for its 9th edition.
Consult Chambers 21st Century Dictionary, The Chambers Thesaurus (1996) or Chambers Biographical Dictionary (1997 edition with amendments). Enter your search and choose your title from the drop-down menu.
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