Shelley, Mary Wollstonecraft 1274
Shel·ley, Ma·ry Woll·stone·craft /'ʃeli  'mɛəri 'wʊlstənkrɑ:ft||-kræft/ (1797-1851) an English writer, whose best-known novel is FRANKENSTEIN. She was married to Percy Bysshe SHELLEY, and was the daughter of the FEMINIST writer Mary WOLLSTONECRAFT.
Shelley, Per·cy Bysshe /'p3:si b1ʃə'l'p3:r-/ (1792-1822) an English poet of the ROMANTIC MOVEMENT, who was also known for his dislike of religion and his strong belief in political freedom. His most famous works were written after 1818 when he went to live in Italy with his wife Mary SHELLEY, and they include Adonais, written in memory of the poet John KEATS, Prometheus Unbound, and To a Skylark.
shell-fire /'ʃelfaɪər/ n [U] the firing or shooting of explosive shells: The town came under heavy shellfire.
shell-fish /'ʃel ʃɪʃ/ n pl shellfish 1 [C] an animal without a BACKBONE that lives in water and has a shell: Lobsters and oysters are shellfish. 2 [U] such animals as food: Do you like shellfish?
'shell game n AmE 1 a game meant to deceive the person who is watching it. In the game a small object is placed under one of three cups and then the cups are moved quickly into different positions. The person watching must then say which of the cups the object is under. 2 something meant to deceive, especially in order to gain money through cheating: These door-to-door insurance salesmen are playing a shell game to get your hard-earned cash.
'shell-like n a word in your shell-like BrE infml humor a word in your ear; a phrase used when you want to talk to someone privately
shell-shock /'ʃelʃk||-ʃɑ:k/ n [U] old-fash for COMBAT FATIGUE
shell-shocked /'ʃelʃɒkt||-ʃɑ:kt/ adj 1 mentally ill because of the STRESS of war: shellshocked soldiers 2 infml having an unsteady confused feeling in the head: She's only just finished writing her dissertation, so she's a bit shellshocked.
'shell suit n a loose-fitting, brightly coloured informal suit made of thin shiny material such as NYLON with similar material covering the inner surface, fitting tightly at the ends of the arms and legs. They were popular in the late 1980s, and there is a joke that they were worn by people with no sense of style.
shel·ter¹ /'ʃeltər/ n 1 [C] a building or roofed enclosure that gives cover or protection: a wooden shelter in a public garden | an air-raid shelter | a bus shelter (=a roofed enclosure at a bus stop) | a nuclear fallout shelter | a shelter for the homeless (=a house or other building where they can live) 2 [U] cover and protection: In the storm I took shelter under a tree. | Everyone ran for shelter when the bombing started. | The mosque provided shelter for hundreds of families whose homes had been flooded. | The refugees' immediate need is for food, clothing, and shelter. ➜ see also TAX SHELTER
shelter² v 1 [T(from)] to protect from harm; give shelter to: These plants must be sheltered from direct sunlight. | sheltering the homeless | a sheltered valley (=protected from extreme weather conditions) 2 [|+adv/prep] to take shelter; find protection: In the storm people were sheltering (from the rain) in the doorways of shops.
Shelter a British CHARITY organization that helps people who are HOMELESS (=do not have a home to live in)
shel·tered /'ʃeltə||-ərd/ adj 1 often derog kept away from harm, risk, or unpleasant realities, especially to an unhealthy degree: He's led a sheltered life. 2 [A no comp.] providing a place to live where people are employed to look after those who live there: sheltered housing/accommodation for the elderly
shelve /ʃelv/ v 1 [T] fml (especially of books) to put on a shelf; arrange on shelves: Oversize books are shelved in the East Library. 2 [T] to put aside until a later time: We've had to shelve our holiday plans because I've just lost my job. 3 [|{DOWN, UP}] (of land) to slope gradually: The land shelves towards the sea.
shelves /ʃelvz/ pl. of SHELF
shelv·ing /'ʃelvɪŋ/ n [U] (material for) shelves
Shen·an·do·ah /ˌʃenən'dəʊə/ a river and a valley in north-west Virginia in the eastern US. Shenandoah National Park, in the Blue Ridge Mountains, covers about 300 square miles, and includes forests and Skyline Drive, from which the Shenandoah Valley can be seen.
she-nan-i-gans /ʃə'nænɪgənz/ n [P] infml 1 rather dishonest practices or tricks 2 slightly annoying playfulness or fun; MISCHIEF
shep·herd¹ /'ʃepə||-ərd/ n 1 a person who takes care of sheep in the fields or open country 2 [(of)] (especially in religious situations) someone who takes care of people: new church organization which will increase every minister's effectiveness as the shepherd of his flock. ➜ see also GOOD SHEPHERD, LORD IS MY SHEPHERD
shepherd² v [T+obj+adv/prep] to lead, guide, or take care of, like sheep: The teacher was shepherding the group of children into the bus.
shep·herd·ess /'ʃepedes||-ərdʃəs/ n (especially in poetry and art) a woman or girl who takes care of sheep in the fields or open country
Shepherd Market an area of MAYFAIR in central London, known especially for its many restaurants and for the PROSTITUTES who work there
shepherd's 'pie also cottage pie n [U] a baked dish made of finely cut-up cooked meat covered with cooked potato
Sher·a·ton /'ʃerətən/ adj the graceful style (of a piece of furniture) made in Britain around 1800 by Thomas Sheraton: a Sheraton card table
Sheraton, the trademark a chain of large expensive hotels in many cities all over the world: We stayed at the Sheraton.
sher·bet /'ʃɜ:bət||'ʃɜ:r-/ n 1 [U] BrE a powder eaten as a sweet or added to water to make a cool drink, especially for children 2 [C] especially AmE for SORBET
sherd /ʃɜ:d||ʃɜ:rərd/ n (especially in ARCHAEOLOGY) A SHARD ➜ see also POTSHERD
she·ri·a /ʃə'ri:ə/ n [U] SHARIA
sher·iff /'ʃerɪʃ/ n 1 (in the US) an elected officer in a local area with duties including carrying out the orders of courts and preserving public order. In the past, the sheriff wore a metal BADGE in the shape of a star. 2 the chief judge of a county or district in Scotland, who hears cases in a sheriff court 3 also High Sheriff the chief officer of the King or Queen in a COUNTY of England and Wales, who has mostly ceremonial duties
'sheriff court n the main lower court of law in Scotland dealing with both CIVIL and criminal cases ➜ see Feature on page A23
Sheriff of 'Nottingham, the an evil man who is the main enemy of ROBIN HOOD in old English stories
Sherlock Holmes ➜ see Sherlock HOLMES
Sher·man Tank /ˌʃ:mən 'tæŋk||ˌʃɜ:r-/ n a TANK (=a heavy military vehicle with a large gun in front, which runs on two metal belts fitted over its wheels) used by the US army in World War II
Sher·pa /'ʃɜ:pə||'ʃɜ:r-/ n a member of a Himalayan people from Nepal, who are known especially for their skill in climbing mountains. They are often employed to guide other mountain climbers, and Tenzing Norgay, one of the two people who first reached the top of Mount Everest in 1953, was a Sherpa.
sher·ry /'ʃeri/ n [U] a pale or dark brown sweet or non-sweet strong wine (of a kind originally) from Spain ➜ see picture at GLASS
Sher·wood For·est /ˌʃɜ:wud 'fɒrɪst||ˌʃɜ:rɪwd 'fɔ:r-, 'fɑ:r-/ a forest in central England, mainly in Nottinghamshire, which is famous as the place where ROBIN HOOD is supposed to have lived
she's /ʃiz; strong ʃi:z/ abbrev. for 1 she is: She's working in an office. 2 she has: She's got a new job.
Shet·land Is·lands, the /ʃetlənd 'aɪləndz/ also Shet·land, the Shetlands a group of about 100 small islands off the north coast of Scotland, further north than the Orkneys. The main industries of the islands are fishing, farming, producing woollen clothes and, more recently, handling the oil which is taken from nearby areas of the North Sea. People from the Shetland Islands are called SHETLANDERS.