shirk (sherk)

[See shirk, v., and shark2, n.] 11. One who lives by shifts or tricks. See shark2.- 2. One who seeks to avoid duty. shirker (shėr'kėr), n. [ A faint-hearted shirker of responsibilities. Corn hill Mag., II. 109. Whether the le er thanes, or inferior proprietors of land, were entitled to a place in the national council, as they shirky (shėr'ki), a. [ easily to be decided. Hallam , Middle Ages, i. 8. shire-ground (shēr'ground), n. Territory subject to county or shire administration. Except the northern province and some of the central districts, all Ireland was shire - ground , and subject to the crown [of England), in the thirteenth century. Leland , Itinerary, quoted in Hallam's Const. Hist., xviii. shire-host (sher'host), n . [ When the shire - host was fairly mustered, the foe was back within his camp. J. R. Green, Conquest of England, p. 85. shire-houset (sher'hous), n. [ schirehows ; house1 .] A house where the shire moot was held. And so John Dam, with helpe of other, gate hym out of the schire- hows, and with mocne labour brought hym unto Sporyer Rowe. Paston Letters, I. 180. shire-land (sher'land), n. Same as shire - ground, A rebellion of two septs in Leinster under Edward VI. led to a more complete reduction of their districts, called Leix and O'Fally, which in the next reign were made shire land , by the names of King's and Queen's county. Hallam , Const. Hist., xviii. shireman (sher'man), n.; pl. shiremen (-men). [Also dial, she reman; ML. schirmanus), The shire already has its shireman or shire-reeve. J. R. Green, Conquest of England, p. 223. 2. A man belonging to "the shires" (which see, under shire ). Shire-man. - Any man who had not the good fortune to be born in one of the sister counties, or in E ex. Heisa sort of foreigner to us; and to our ears, which are acutely sensible of any violation of the beauty of our phraseology, Dict. shirll (shèrl), v. and a. An obsolete or dialectal form of shrill. shirl2 (shèrl), v. t. [Also shurl; prop. * sherl , a freq. of shear1 .] well . [Prov. Eng.] shir13 (sherl), v . i . [Perhaps prop. * sherl , freq. of sheerl; otherwise due to shirl2 .] 1. To slide. My young ones lament that they can have no more shirling in the lake: a motion something between skating and sliding, and originating in the iron clogs. Southey , Letters, 1826. To cut with shears. Halli 2. To romp about rudely. Hall i well . [Prov. Eng. in both uses.] shirl4 (sherl), n. [ schirl , for schörl : see schorl, shorl.] Schorl. [Rare.] shirly (sher'li), adv . An obsolete or dialectal form of shrilly . shirpt, v. i. [Imitative. Cf. chirp1 .] To puff with the mouth in scorn. Buffa, the dispisyng blaste of the mouthe that we call shirpyng. Thomas, Italian Dict. ( Hall i well.) shirr, shir (sher), v. t. [Origin obscure; hardly found in literature or old records; perhaps a dial. form (prop. * sher ) and use of sheer2, v.] 1. To pucker or draw up (a fabric or a part of a fabric) by means of parallel gathering-threads: as, to shirr an apron.-2. In cookery, to poach (eggs) in cream instead of water. shirr, shir (shèr), n. [ shirred (sherd), p. a. 1. (a) Puckered or gathered, as by shirring: as, a shirred bonnet. [U.S.] (b) Having india-rubber or elastic cords woven in the texture, so as to produce shirring. [Eng.]-2. In cookery, poached in cream: said Hall i well. of eggs. and the music of our pronunciation, his speech soon bewrays him. "Aye, I knew he must be a shere - man by his tongue." Forby, p. 296.