shy
Also found in: Dictionary, Thesaurus, Medical, Legal, Financial, Acronyms, Encyclopedia, Wikipedia.
a few bricks shy/short of a load
A pejorative phrase meaning not very intelligent or of questionable mental capacity. It can appear in many different forms and variations (for example: a few sandwiches short of a picnic, a few cards shy of a full deck, etc.). He says he's going to start a business selling bees as pets—I think he may be a few bricks shy of a load.
gun-shy
1. Frightened of using a gun or by the sound of one firing. My other three sons all really love to hunt, but Tommy's a little bit gun-shy.
2. Hesitant or wary of something or some action, especially after having previously suffered a negative experience of such. I've been rather gun-shy about driving ever since I got into that car accident last year.
be one card shy of a (full) deck
To be not very intelligent or of questionable mental capacity. This expression can appear in many different forms and variations (e.g., "a few sandwiches short of a picnic," "one brick short of a load.," etc.). He says he's going to start a business selling bees as pets—I think he may be one card shy of a full deck. The new manager is nice enough, but he's one card shy of a deck, if you ask me.
one card shy of a (full) deck
A pejorative phrase meaning not very intelligent or of questionable mental capacity. This expression can appear in many different forms and variations (e.g., "a few sandwiches short of a picnic," "one brick short of a load.," etc.). He says he's going to start a business selling bees as pets—I think he may be one card shy of a full deck. The new manager is nice enough, but he's one card shy of a deck, if you ask me.
a sandwich shy of a picnic
A pejorative phrase meaning not very intelligent or of questionable mental capacity. This expression can appear in many different forms and variations (e.g., several bricks short of a load," "one card shy of a full deck," etc.). He says he's going to start a business selling bees as pets—I think he may be a sandwich shy of a picnic. The new manager is nice enough, but he's a sandwich shy of a picnic, if you ask me.
one sandwich shy of a picnic
A pejorative phrase meaning not very intelligent or of questionable mental capacity. This expression can appear in many different forms and variations (e.g., several bricks short of a load," "one card shy of a full deck," etc.). He says he's going to start a business selling bees as pets—I think he may be one sandwich shy of a picnic. The new manager is nice enough, but he's one sandwich shy of a picnic, if you ask me.
shy bladder
Said to be possessed by one who has trouble urinating when others are present, as in a public restroom. I have a shy bladder, so it takes me forever to pee in those crowded stadium bathrooms.
one brick shy of a (full) load
A pejorative phrase meaning not very intelligent or of questionable mental capacity. It can appear in many different forms and variations (for example: a few sandwiches shy of a picnic, one card shy of a full deck, etc.). He says he's going to start a business selling bees as pets—I think he may be one brick shy of a load. The new manager is nice enough, but he's one brick shy of a full load, if you ask me.
shy of (something)
Slightly less than some amount. Our current rent is just shy of $1,500. If it goes any higher, I don't know how we'll be able to afford it. We're just two people shy of a full team. Are any of your friends interested?
shy away from (someone or something)
To avoid someone or something. I shy away from confrontation because I just don't like conflict. Are you mad at me? You've been shying away from me all day.
fight shy of (someone or something)
To try to avoid confronting or encountering someone or something. I'm naturally a peacemaker, so I always fight shy of tension.
once bitten, twice shy
Once one is hurt by someone or something, one will be extra cautious to avoid that person or thing. I've learned my lesson from dating actors—once bitten, twice shy. The company's brief but disastrous attempt was enough for them to vow never to venture into the mobile phone market again. Once bitten, twice shy.
have a shy at (something)
To attempt to strike or hit something, such as a ball. I had a shy at the ball but didn't hit it very far.
a few cards shy of a (full) deck
A derogatory phrase meaning not very intelligent or of questionable mental capacity. It can appear in many different forms and variations (for example: a few sandwiches shy of a picnic, one card shy of a full deck, etc.). He says he's going to start a business selling bees as pets—I think he may be a few cards shy of a full deck. The new manager is nice enough, but he's a few cards shy of a deck, if you ask me.
two bricks shy of a (full) load
A derogatory phrase meaning not very intelligent or of questionable mental capacity. It can appear in many different forms and variations (for example: a few sandwiches shy of a picnic, one card shy of a full deck, etc.). He says he's going to start a business selling bees as pets—I think he may be two bricks shy of a load. The new manager is nice enough, but he's two bricks shy of a full load, if you ask me.
few bricks short of a load
and few cards shy of a full deck; few cards short of a deck; not playing with a full deck; two bricks shy of a loadFig. lacking in intellectual ability. (Many other variants.) Tom: Joe thinks he can build a car out of old milk jugs. Mary: I think Joe's a few bricks short of a load. Ever since she fell and hit her head, Jane's been a few bricks short of a load, if you know what I'm saying. Bob's nice, but he's not playing with a full deck. You twit! You're two bricks shy of a load.
Once bitten, twice shy.
Prov. When something or someone has hurt you once, you tend to avoid that thing or person. Jill: Let's go ride the roller coaster. Jane: No, thanks. I got really sick on one of those once—once bitten, twice shy. I once sent in money for something I saw advertised in the back of a magazine, but the merchandise was of such poor quality I was sorry I'd bought it. I'll never buy anything that way again; once bitten, twice shy.
one brick shy of a load
Inf. stupid; dense. Joyce has done some stupid things. Sometimes I think she is one brick shy of a load. Ted is one brick shy of a load. He can't seem to do what he is told without messing up.
shy away (from someone or something)
to avoid someone or something. The dog shies away from John since he kicked it. I can understand why the dog would shy away.
three bricks shy of a load
stupid; dense; shortchanged on intelligence. I would never say she was dense. Just three bricks shy of a load. Why do you act like you're three bricks shy of a load?
bricks shy of a load
Mentally impaired, either unintelligent or merely eccentric. For example, He may be handsome but he's not too bright-a few bricks shy of a load. This term, transferring a light load to lightweight mental capacity, is usually preceded by either a few or a specific number such as two . [Slang; 1960s]
fight shy of
Avoid meeting or confronting someone, as in "I have ... had to fight shy of invitations that would exhaust time and spirits" (Washington Irving, Life and Letters, 1821). This usage may allude to a military reluctance to meet or engage with the enemy. [Late 1700s]
once bitten, twice shy
Once hurt, one is doubly cautious in the future, as in He was two days late last time, so she's not hiring him again-once bitten, twice shy. This seemingly old observation, presumably alluding to an animal biting someone, was first recorded in 1894.
shy away from
Avoid, evade, as in He shied away from all questions concerning his private life. [Late 1700s]
once bitten, twice shy
oronce bitten
You say once bitten, twice shy to mean that a bad experience makes you not want to become involved in a similar situation in the future. I'm certainly not looking for a new boyfriend. Once bitten, twice shy. Tokyo's punters, once bitten, twice shy, will not come rushing back for more.
fight shy of
be unwilling to undertake or become involved with. 1992 Farmers Guardian Welsh companies often fight shy of dealing with the big multiples.
once bitten, twice shy
a bad experience makes you wary of the same thing happening again.This expression dates from the late 19th century. A variant common in the USA is once burned, twice shy .
have a shy at
try to hit something, especially with a ball or stone.fight ˈshy of something/of doing something
avoid something or doing something; not want to do something: I tend to fight shy of getting involved in protests, but in this case I feel very strongly that we should complain.ˌonce ˈbitten, ˌtwice ˈshy
(saying) if something has gone wrong once, you are very careful not to let something similar happen again: ‘Will she marry again, do you think?’ ‘I doubt it — once bitten, twice shy.’shy away
v.
1. To retreat out of a sense of shyness: The deer poked its head out from the bushes and then shied away when it saw me.
2. To avoid doing something, especially out of caution or anxiety: The company shied away from giving raises this year.
one brick shy of a load
mod. stupid; dense. Joyce has done some stupid things. Sometimes I think she is one brick shy of a load.
three bricks shy of a load
mod. stupid; dense; shortchanged on intelligence. I would never say she was dense. Just three bricks shy of a load.
fight shy of
To avoid meeting or confronting.
elevator doesn't go to the top floor, the
Describing someone who is simple-minded, not very intelligent. The top floor in this slangy insult denotes the brain. One synonym is a few/two/three bricks shy of a load, indicating a person is short of intelligence. Another is not playing with a full deck, which refers to the card game of poker. Yet another is having only one oar in the water (or not having both oars in the water). All these slangy expressions date from the second half of the twentieth century. For example, “But now this new opportunity had presented itself, and . . . how could he really lose? Okay, she probably wasn’t playing with a full deck, but he didn’t figure her for any more gun wielding” (David Baldacci, Hour Game, 2004).
once bitten, twice shy
One injury will make one extra cautious in the future. This proverbial saying appears to date from the mid-nineteenth century, although the idea is centuries older. William Scarborough’s version of Chinese Proverbs (1875) stated, “Once bitten by a snake in passing by, a second time he will of grass be shy.”