shifty Hear it!

shifty Definition

shifty (s̸hif′tē)

adjective shift′i·er, shift′i·est

  1. Now Rare full of shifts or expedients; resourceful
  2. having or showing a tricky or deceitful nature; evasive

shifty Related Forms
shift′i·ly adverb shift′i·ness noun
shifty Synonyms

shifty

modif.

tricky, cunning, sneaky; see sly 1.

shifty Usage Examples

Modifying Another Word

  • very: The first race started in a very shifty 15 knots coming from the Northwest.
  • slightly: And then I asked what he did, and he looked slightly shifty.
  • so: So you know why the butler looked so shifty the night of the party.
  • quite: The wind did fill in but was testing as it was quite shifty.
  • pretty: He has held that job for two different Prime Ministers, which shows he has pretty shifty footwork.
  • rather: Quizzed by the Emir, the camel driver related his story confidently enough but he always seemed uneasy and rather shifty.

Modifies a noun

  • breeze: Prayers were answered & a light shifty SE breeze slowly built all day.
  • wind: More light, shifty winds are forecast for next week.
  • eye: He did not have shifty eyes or wear a dirty rain mac.
  • character: A Taxi stuck in traffic had two shifty characters in the back.
  • condition: The NE wind was blowing along the length of the lake allowing a good long beat into the shifty conditions for all races.
  • force: The 15 knots of breeze predicted never filled in - instead the fleet raced in a shifty force 2-3.

Used with adjective complement

  • look: Someone's been hanging around the village, looking shifty.
  • become: The wind picked up slightly for the start of race two, only to progressively drop and become more shifty as the race developed.
shifty Quotes

Into the face of the young man†had crept a look of furtive shame, the shifty, hangdog look which announces that an Englishman is about to talk French.

—Plum