fight shy of

Idioms

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]

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.

"It would change the whole face of British business. Investors would fight shy of firms that can't show they're ready," he says.

From BBC • Oct. 17, 2021

I don’t see him running an antiques shop in the Cotswolds but I would fight shy of killing him off.

From The Guardian • Jun. 27, 2020

Opera is expensive, and audiences often fight shy of contemporary works.

From Time • Oct. 21, 2014

The rest of the publishing industry may be in crisis: the Kindle generation may fight shy of spending more on an 800-page novel than on a kingsize Lion bar.

From The Guardian • Oct. 4, 2014

If they know they will fight shy of the garden, and many a promising flirtation will be spoilt.

From The Weight of the Crown by White, Fred M. (Fred Merrick)

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023