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short shrift

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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.

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Nearby words

  1. short run,
  2. short sale,
  3. short seller,
  4. short selling,
  5. short short story,
  6. short shrift, give,
  7. short splice,
  8. short story,
  9. short straw,
  10. short subject

Origin of short shrift

First recorded in 1585–95
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for short shrift

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