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shirty

American  
[shur-tee] / ˈʃɜr ti /

adjective

shirtier, shirtiest
  1. bad-tempered; irritable; cranky.


shirty British  
/ ˈʃɜːtɪ /

adjective

  1. slang bad-tempered or annoyed

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

  • shirtily adverb
  • shirtiness noun

Etymology

Origin of shirty

First recorded in 1840–50; shirt, in the phrase get someone's shirt out “to annoy” + -y 1

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

"I got a bit shirty about it," Durham coach Campbell said.

From BBC

I tracked him down and he got very shirty with me, very like, "Who are you? Why are you asking? How did you find me?"

From Salon

The shirty fan, who works for a publishing firm, reckons his collection is worth about £10,000 to £15,000 - though he rarely shells out top price.

From BBC

"We weren't prepared to put ourselves at risk or our clients at risk. They got a bit shirty with us."

From BBC

He tells me he prefers to listen to jazz or classical music, but, asked why he favours those genres, responds with a shirty: “Cos that’s what I like.”

From The Guardian