shirt (redirected from Shirts)

a hair shirt

if someone wears a hair shirt, they choose to make their life unpleasant by not having or experiencing anything that gives them pleasure. I don't think you have to put on a hair shirt in order to be a socialist.

See also: hair

Keep your shirt on! (British, American & Australian, informal, British & Australian, informal)

a slightly impolite way of telling someone who is angry to try to be calm and patient. Keep your shirt on! I'll be with you in a second.

See also: keep

lose your shirt (British, American & Australian)

put your shirt on something - to risk all your money on something because you are sure you will win. He said he'd lost his shirt on that race. (usually + on)

See also: lose

put your shirt on something (British & Australian)

to risk all your money on something because you are sure you will win. I put my shirt on the last race and lost everything.

a shirt-lifter (British & Australian, informal)

an offensive way of referring to a man who is homosexual (= sexually attracted to other men). He was taunted by a chorus of adolescent gay haters shouting 'shirt-lifter!'.

a stuffed shirt

someone, especially a man, who behaves in a formal, old-fashioned way and thinks they are very important. I knew he was a banker and expensively educated so I was expecting him to be a stuffed shirt.

See also: stuff

would give you the shirt off their back (informal)

if someone would give you the shirt off their back, they are extremely generous. Karen's not well off, but she'd give you the shirt off her back.

See also: back, give

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keep your shirt on

to stay calm. The meeting may be pretty unpleasant, so promise me you'll keep your shirt on.

keep your cool

See also: keep

lose your shirt

to lose all the money you put into something. I lost my shirt because I didn't know anything about publishing at the time.

Usage notes: usually said about money that was invested

See also: lose