shower head
1284
'shower head n the top part of a SHOWER (3b) out of which
the water comes
show-er-proof /'ʃaʊəpruːf||'ʃaʊər-/ adj (of a piece of cloth-
ing etc) not allowing much or any rain to pass through: This
raincoat is useless and they said it was showerproof.
'shower tray n the bottom part of a SHOWER in which you
stand while having a shower
show-er-y /'ʃaʊəri/ adj (of weather) bringing rain from time
to time but not for long: a showery day
show-girl /'ʃəʊgɜːl||-gɜːrl/ n a girl in a group of singers or
dancers, usually in very fancy dress, in a musical show
show-ground /'ʃəʊgraʊnd/ n BrE a large area of land where
an event such as a farming show or a FETE can be held
show-ing /'ʃəʊɪŋ/ n 1 [S] a record of success or quality;
performance: After its poor showing in last night's game, the
team is unlikely to reach the finals. | On its current showing
(=according to the way it is performing now) the party
should do well in the forthcoming election. 2 [C] an act of
putting on view: We're going to a showing of his latest
paintings. | a special showing of the movie 'King Kong'
'show jumping n [U] BrE a form of horseriding competition
judged on ability and often speed in jumping a course of
fences —er n
show-man /'ʃəʊmən/ n pl. -men /mən/ 1 a person whose
business is producing plays, musical shows, public entertain-
ments etc: a fairground showman 2 a person who is good at
gaining public attention: In local politics it helps to be a bit of
a showman. —ship n [U]
shown /ʃəʊn/ past participle of SHOW
'show-off n infml derog a person who SHOWS off: He's such a
show-off!
show of 'hands n [S] a vote taken by counting the raised
hands of voters: The chairman took a show of hands.
show-piece /'ʃəʊpiːs/ n a fine example fit to be admired by
everyone: This Ming vase is the showpiece of my collection. | a
showpiece factory
show-place /'ʃəʊpleɪs/ n a place which is open to or visited
by the public because of its beauty, historical interest etc:
Visit Warwick Castle, showplace of the Midlands.
show-room /'ʃəʊrʊm, -rʊm/ n a large room where exam-
ples of goods for sale can be looked at: a car/furniture
showroom
show-stop-ping /'ʃəʊˌstɒpɪŋ||-ˌstɑː-/ adj apprec showstop-
ping performance is extremely good or impressive: a show-
stopping song-and-dance act —per n
show-time /'ʃəʊtaɪm/ n [U] 1 the time that a play or film
will begin in a theatre or cinema 2 AmE infml the time when
an activity should begin
Showtime a CABLE television CHANNEL in the US which
shows films and other programmes
'show trial n usually derog. a trial set up by a government
mainly to produce an effect on public opinion, rather than to
find out if someone is guilty. Show trials are used usually by
TOTALITARIAN governments: A series of show trials were
staged after the rebellion.
show-y /'ʃəʊi/ adj usually derog very colourful, bright,
attention-getting etc, but usually without much real beauty,
skill etc: a showy person/dress —ily adv —iness n [U]
shrank /ʃræŋk/ past tense of SHRINK
shrap-nel /'ʃræpnel/ n [U] metal scattered in small pieces
from an exploding bomb or SHELL: He suffers from an old
shrapnel wound.
shred¹ /ʃred/ n [often] 1 [C often pl.] a small narrow piece torn
or roughly cut off: a shred of tobacco/cloth | My scarf was in
shreds (=completely torn up) after the dog had chewed it up. |
(fig.) He came out of the meeting with his reputation in shreds.
(=completely ruined) → see also tear something to shreds
(TEAR) 2 [S usually in negatives] a smallest piece; bit: There's not
a shred of truth (=no truth at all) in his statement.
shred² v -dd- [T] 1 to cut or tear into shreds: Coleslaw is
made with shredded cabbage. 2 to put through a SHREDDER:
Shred these documents before anyone sees them.
,Shredded 'Wheat trademark a type of breakfast CEREAL made
from wheat
shred-der /'ʃredər/ n 1 a kitchen tool for shredding
food 2 a machine which tears paper into very small pieces
that cannot be read: Put the secret documents in/through the
shredder.
shrew /ʃruː/ n 1 a very small mouselike animal with a long
pointed nose 2 lit a bad-tempered woman
shrewd /ʃruːd/ adj 1 showing good practical judgment,
especially of what is to one's own advantage: a shrewd judge
of other people's ability | a shrewd lawyer/businesswoman
2 well-reasoned and likely to be right: a shrewd guess —ly
adv —ness n [U]
shrew-ish /'ʃruːɪ/ adj lit being or typical of a bad-tempered
woman —ly adv —ness n [U]
Shrews-bu-ry /'ʃrəʊzbəri||'ʃruːzberi/ a town in western
England, near the border with Wales
shriek /ʃrik/ v [I;T] to make or say with a wild high cry,
usually resulting from anger, excitement, or fear: 'Help!' she
shrieked. | They were all shrieking with laughter. —shriek n:
He gave a shriek of terror.
shrift /ʃrɪft/ n → see SHORT SHRIFT
shrill /ʃrɪl/ adj 1 (of a sound) high and sounding sharp or
even painful to the ear; PIERCING: a shrill whistle 2 (of words
or people) marked by continuous expressions of angry disap-
proval; STRIDENT: The newspapers became even shriller in
their attacks. —ness n [U] —shrilly /'frɪl-i, 'frɪli/ adv
shrimp /ʃrɪmp/ n 1 a small CRUSTACEAN (=sea creature with
an outer shell) with ten legs and a FAN-shaped tail →
compare PRAWN 2 AmE a PRAWN 3 derog, usually humor a small
person
,shrimp 'cocktail n [C;U] an American dish served before the
main course of a meal consisting of PRAWNS with a hot-
tasting tomato sauce
shrine /ʃraɪn/ n 1 a place for religious worship which is
considered holy: an ancient shrine | to go on a pilgrimage to
the Shrine of St James 2 a container holding the remains of
a holy person's body 3 a place held in respect because of its
connections with a famous person or event: Stratford, the
shrine of Shakespeare
Shrin-er /'ʃraɪnər/ a member of a US organization whose
members are MASONS of high rank. Shriners are known
especially for doing CHARITY work for children and for their
travelling CIRCUS.
shrink¹ /ʃrɪŋk/ v shrank /ʃræŋk/ or shrunk /ʃrʌŋk/,
shrunk 1 [I;T] to (cause to) become smaller (as if) from the
effect of heat or water: Washing wool in hot water will shrink
it/make it shrink. | Meat shrinks by losing some of its fat in
cooking. | The number of students has shrunk (from 120 to
75). | shrinking profits | the shrinking pound (=becoming
lower and lower in value) → see also PRESHRUNK,
SHRUNKEN 2 [+adv/prep] especially lit to move back and away,
especially because of fear: Fearing a beating, the dog shrank
into a corner.
shrink from sthg. phr v [T+obj/v-ing] to avoid or be unwilling
to do (something difficult or unpleasant): He shrank from
(the thought of) having to kill anyone.
shrink² n humor, infml a PSYCHOANALYST or PSYCHIATRIST
shrink-age /'ʃrɪŋkɪdʒ/ n [U] the act or amount of shrinking;
loss in size: As a result of shrinkage, the shirt is now too small
to wear. | a further shrinkage in the size of the work force
,shrinking 'violet n humor, infml someone who lacks self-
confidence; a SHY person
'shrink-wrap v -pp- [T] to enclose (a product) in clear
plastic film which is then shrunk, usually by heating, to
make a tight fit: I don't like markets that shrink-wrap the
vegetables. —ped adj
shriv-el /'ʃrɪvəl/ v -ll- BrE || -l- AmE [I;T(UP)] to (cause to) dry
out and become smaller, twisting into small folds: The crops
had (been) shrivelled up in the dry heat. | (fig.) a shrivelled old
man
Shri-ver, Ma-ri-a /'ʃraɪvər, mə'riːə/ (1955–) a US television
news REPORTER who is known for her work on the news
programme Dateline NBC. In 2004 she gave up her job
because her husband, Arnold Schwarzenegger, became GOVER-
NOR of California. She is the daughter of politician Sargent
Shriver and Eunice Kennedy Shriver, and the NIECE of John
F. Kennedy, Robert Kennedy, and Ted Kennedy.