<HEAD><TITLE>DICTIONARY: short circuit - short-lived</TITLE></HEAD>
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<A NAME="shortcircuit">
<B>short circuit,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> a side circuit of electricity that is formed when insulation wears off a wire or wires that touch each other or some connecting conductor, so that the main circuit is by-passed. A short circuit usually blows a fuse and may cause a fire by heating wires. </DL>
<A NAME="shortcircuit">
<B>short-circuit, </B>transitive verb.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>to make a short circuit in (an electric system). <DD><B> 2. </B>(of a conductor) to carry (a current) by acting as a short circuit. <DD><B> 3. </B>to cut off the current from (part of an apparatus) by making a short circuit. <DD><B> 4. </B>(Surgery.) to make a direct passage from (an organ) into some other part when the normal passage is obstructed. <DD><B> 5. </B>(Informal, Figurative.) to get around; avoid; by-pass. <BR> <I>Ex. It was he who ... contrived to short-circuit the ... defense order (Harper's).</I> <DD><I>v.i. </I> to make a short circuit. </DL>
<A NAME="shortcoming">
<B>shortcoming, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> a flaw in one's character or conduct; fault; defect. <BR> <I>Ex. Rudeness is a serious shortcoming.</I> (SYN) failing. </DL>
<A NAME="shortcommons">
<B>short commons,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> little to eat. <BR> <I>Ex. In a word, the Army is on short commons and the lack of funds is apparent everywhere (London Times).</I> </DL>
<A NAME="shortcovering">
<B>short covering,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> the buying of securities to cover a short sale. </DL>
<A NAME="shortcut">
<B>short cut,</B> or <B>shortcut, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>a less distant or quicker way between two places. <DD><B> 2. </B>(Figurative.) a quick or quicker way. <BR> <I>Ex. There are no short cuts to wisdom and learning.</I> </DL>
<A NAME="shortcut">
<B>short-cut, </B>verb, <B>-cut,</B> <B>-cutting.</B><DL COMPACT><DD><I>v.i. </I> to use a short cut. <DD><I>v.t. </I> to avoid by using a short cut. <BR> <I>Ex. to short-cut a city. One reason for short-cutting the legal order ... is the unwillingness some judges are showing now to sign such orders (New York Times).</I> </DL>
<A NAME="shortdated">
<B>short-dated, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>falling due at an early date. <BR> <I>Ex. short-dated bills, bonds, or notes.</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>having little time to run. <BR> <I>Ex. a short-dated life or career.</I> </DL>
<A NAME="shortdayplant">
<B>short-day plant,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> a plant that blooms only when its daily exposure to light is relatively short, as in the spring or late fall when the days are short and the nights are long. Sugar cane, wild strawberries, violets, and poinsettias are some short-day plants. </DL>
<A NAME="shortdivision">
<B>short division,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> a method of dividing numbers in which the various steps of the division are worked out mentally. It is used to divide small numbers. </DL>
<A NAME="shortearedowl">
<B>short-eared owl,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> an owl about 15 1/2 inches long that frequents open, marshy areas and often hunts during the day; hawk owl. </DL>
<A NAME="shorten">
<B>shorten, </B>transitive verb.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>to make shorter; cut off. <BR> <I>Ex. to shorten the working day. The new highway shortens the trip. She has had all her dresses shortened. Envy and wrath shorten the life (Ecclesiasticus 30:24).</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>to make seem shorter. <BR> <I>Ex. Thus were the hours of labour shortened ... by shrewd remarks and bits of local gossip (Joseph Conrad).</I> <DD><B> 3. </B>to make rich, as with butter or lard; add shortening to. <BR> <I>Ex. She used butter to shorten her cakes.</I> <DD><B> 4. </B>to lessen the area of (a vessel's sails) by reefing or furling; take in (sail). <DD><B> 5. </B>(in the Bible) to reduce the reach or power of. <BR> <I>Ex. Behold, the Lord's hand is not shortened, that it cannot save (Isaiah 59:1).</I> <DD><B> 6. </B>to treat or pronounce (a vowel or syllable) as short. <DD><I>v.i. </I> <B>1. </B>to become shorter; dwindle in size. <BR> <I>Ex. The days shorten in November in this country.</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>(of odds or prices) to decrease. noun <B>shortener.</B> </DL>
<A NAME="shortender">
<B>short-ender, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> (U.S. Informal.) a contestant who is not favored to win; underdog. </DL>
<A NAME="shortening">
<B>shortening, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>butter, lard, or other fat, used to make pastry or cake crisp or easily crumbling. <BR> <I>Ex. Shortening, like salad oil, starts out as roughly refined "summer oil" (Wall Street Journal).</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>the act of a person or thing that shortens. </DL>
<A NAME="shortfall">
<B>shortfall, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> the act or fact of falling short; failure to reach an expected amount; decrease. <BR> <I>Ex. a shortfall in purchasing.</I> </DL>
<A NAME="shortfired">
<B>short-fired, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> (of china and pottery) not sufficiently baked. </DL>
<A NAME="shortfuse">
<B>short fuse,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> (U.S.) a quick temper. <BR> <I>Ex. While Darwin the writer was the soul of serenity and balance, Darwin the golfer had one of the shortest fuses in history (New Yorker).</I> </DL>
<A NAME="shorthaircat">
<B>shorthair cat,</B> or <B>shorthair, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> any one of a breed of medium-sized, domestic cats having long, slender bodies and short hair. <BR> <I>Ex. Shorthair of the Year was ... a black Manx male (Theodore M. O'Leary).</I> </DL>
<A NAME="shorthand">
<B>shorthand, </B>noun, adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD><I>noun </I> <B>1. </B>a method of rapid writing that uses symbols or abbreviations in place of letters, sounds, syllables, words, and phrases; stenography. <BR> <I>Ex. Sometimes it is possible to make actual notes in shorthand or longhand, and occasionally a simultaneous electrical recording may be made of the interview (Anthony H. Richmond).</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>writing in such symbols. <DD><B> 3. </B>(Figurative.) any shortened form or system of communicating. <BR> <I>Ex. Sociologists all have their own shorthand or jargon (Listener).</I> <DD><I>adj. </I> <B>1. </B>written in shorthand. <BR> <I>Ex. shorthand notes.</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>using shorthand. <BR> <I>Ex. a shorthand clerk or stenographer.</I> </DL>
<A NAME="shorthanded">
<B>short-handed, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> not having enough workmen or helpers; undermanned; understaffed. <BR> <I>Ex. The post office is always short-handed in the Christmas season.</I> noun <B>short-handedness.</B> </DL>
<A NAME="shorthandmachine">
<B>shorthand machine,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> a machine for recording speech rapidly by means of lettered keys like those on a typewriter. Shorthand machines have 21 keys, any number of which may be struck at one time. They are often used for recording speeches and court testimony. </DL>
<A NAME="shorthandtypist">
<B>shorthand-typist, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> (British.) a stenographer. </DL>
<A NAME="shorthandwriter">
<B>shorthand-writer, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> (British.) a shorthand-typist. </DL>
<A NAME="shorthaul">
<B>short-haul, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> of or having to do with transportation over relatively short distances. <BR> <I>Ex. a short-haul airline.</I> </DL>
<A NAME="shortheaded">
<B>short-headed, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> having a short head; brachycephalic. noun <B>short-headedness.</B> </DL>
<A NAME="shorthorn">
<B>shorthorn</B> or <B>Shorthorn, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> one of a breed of cattle with short horns, raised chiefly for beef; Durham. Shorthorns are white, red, or roan. The breed originated in northern England. <BR> <I>Ex. The Shorthorn is generally considered a dual-purpose breed, though different strains have been selected primarily for meat or for milk production (Ralph W. Phillips).</I> </DL>
<A NAME="shorthorned">
<B>short-horned, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> having short horns. <BR> <I>Ex. a short-horned cow or bull.</I> </DL>
<A NAME="shorthornedgrasshopper">
<B>short-horned grasshopper,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> any grasshopper of a family having short antennae and commonly migrating in great swarms; locust. </DL>
<A NAME="shorthundredweight">
<B>short hundredweight,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> the American hundredweight, equal to 100 pounds. </DL>
<A NAME="shortia">
<B>shortia, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> any perennial plant of a group of the mountains of North and South Carolina and of Japan, with evergreen leaves and nodding white or rose flowers. Shortia, prized in cultivation, was long thought the rarest of North American plants. </DL>
<A NAME="shortie">
<B>shortie, </B>noun, adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD><I>noun </I> <B>1. </B>a garment of short length. <BR> <I>Ex. Trousers ... tapering elegantly from under my new camel shortie (Basil Boothroyd).</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>(Informal.) a short person. <DD><I>adj. </I> (of a garment) of short length. <BR> <I>Ex. a blue shortie raincoat.</I> <DD> Also, <B>shorty.</B> </DL>
<A NAME="shortinterest">
<B>short interest,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> a quantity of borrowed stock sold in a short sale; number of shares sold short. </DL>
<A NAME="shortiron">
<B>short iron,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> a golf club with an iron or steel head inclined at a relatively large angle to its short shaft, suitable for shots close to the green. </DL>
<A NAME="shortish">
<B>shortish, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> rather short. <BR> <I>Ex. a shortish run, visit or speech.</I> </DL>
<A NAME="shortjawchub">
<B>shortjaw chub,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> a common American freshwater chub having a short lower jaw. </DL>
<A NAME="shortjointed">
<B>short-jointed, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>(of plants) having short gaps between the joints. <DD><B> 2. </B>(of a horse) having a short pastern. </DL>
<A NAME="shortleafpine">
<B>shortleaf pine,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> a pine tree of the southern and eastern United States having short needles and small cones. </DL>
<A NAME="shortlegged">
<B>short-legged, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> having short legs. </DL>
<A NAME="shortline">
<B>short line,</B><DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>a railroad or bus line covering short routes, usually less than 200 miles. <DD><B> 2. </B>the center line across the width of a handball court. </DL>
<A NAME="shortlist">
<B>short-list, </B>transitive verb.<DL COMPACT><DD> (British.) to include in a list of chosen applicants or candidates, from which a final selection will be made. <BR> <I>Ex. Candidates short-listed will be interviewed on 27th July (London Times).</I> </DL>
<A NAME="shortlived">
<B>short-lived, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>living only a short time; having a short life. <BR> <I>Ex. a short-lived plant.</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>lasting only a short time; fleeting; brief. <BR> <I>Ex. a short-lived improvement, short-lived hope.</I> </DL>
