shake (redirected from giving a fair shake)

be no great shakes (informal)

to not be very good at doing something. He was a very creative chef but no great shakes on the management side of business.

See also: great

be shaking in your boots/shoes

to be very frightened or anxious. Damon was shaking in his shoes when he heard all the shouting.

See also: boot, shoe

a fair shake (American, informal)

a way of treating someone that is fair. They want a lawyer who will make sure they get a fair shake in the courts.

See also: fair

in two shakes (of a lamb's tail) (old-fashioned, old-fashioned)

very soon. I'll be with you in two shakes of a lamb's tail.

See also: two

more something than you can shake a stick at (old-fashioned)

a very large number of something. I don't know why she wants more shoes - she's already got more pairs than you can shake a stick at.

See also: can, more, stick

rock/shake something to its foundations

to damage or change an organization or a person's beliefs very much. Allegations of scandal and abuse have rocked the party to its foundations. The ideas seemed to make sense, but shook the foundations of her own Christian beliefs.

See also: foundation, rock

Shake a leg! (old-fashioned, informal)

something that you say in order to tell people to hurry up. Come on, shake a leg! The film starts in 20 minutes.

See also: leg

shake like a leaf

to shake a lot because you are nervous or frightened. I saw her just before her talk and she was shaking like a leaf. (usually in continuous tenses)

See also: leaf, like

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more something than you can shake a stick at

a very large number of something. I don't know why she wants more shoes — she's already got more pairs than you can shake a stick at.

See also: can, more, stick

no great shakes

not very good. He was a very creative chef but no great shakes at managing a business.

See also: great

shake down someone

to get money from someone by using threats. His crimes ranged from murder to shaking down gamblers. He claimed that a government official shook his company down for $10,000 in campaign contributions.

See also: down

shake someone's hand

to greet someone by taking their hand in your own and moving it up and down a little. The Texas coach shook my dad's hand and said he had wanted to meet him for a long time.

Usage notes: sometimes used as a way to express pleasure at someone's success and often said but not actually done: Admiral, we shake your hand for a job well done.

See also: hand

shake hands

to greet or say goodbye by briefly joining hands with someone and moving them slightly up and down. On the way out, the president stopped to shake hands with many in the audience.

See also: hand

shake your head

to move your head from side to side as a way of saying no or to express disagreement. Asked if she wanted any more to eat, Judith shook her head.

See also: head

shake off something

to free yourself from something. Investors failed to shake off worries about the economy. As she was running, she felt a pain in her left leg, but she hoped to shake it off if she slowed up.

Usage notes: usually said about something unpleasant

shake the foundations of something

to cause a person or organization to question the truth of something it strongly believed. For a time his grief over his son's death shook the foundations of his religious faith.

See also: foundation

shake up someone

to upset someone. The kids were pretty shaken up by the accident. Patrick's death shook me up pretty badly.

shake up something

to cause big changes in a situation or organization. The company announced that it would shake up top management and cut 1,000 jobs. Every new boss likes to shake things up a bit when they take over.