short shrift

See more synonyms for short shrift on Thesaurus.com

noun

a brief time for confession or absolution given to a condemned prisoner before his or her execution.
little attention or consideration in dealing with a person or matter: to give short shrift to an opponent's arguments.

Origin of short shrift

First recorded in 1585–95

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for short shrift

Contemporary Examples of short shrift

More vexing than the short-shrift mentions are the flat-out omissions.
John Sutherland‘s Enjoyable Little History of Literature
Malcolm Forbes
November 29, 2013

British Dictionary definitions for short shrift

short shrift

noun

brief and unsympathetic treatment
(formerly) a brief period allowed to a condemned prisoner to make confession
make short shrift of to dispose of quickly and unsympathetically

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