shirt
/ʃəːt
/- He jogged up to walk beside me, his tie untied, the top two buttons of his shirt undone, his sleeves pushed up to his elbows.
- We have a business casual dress code at my office, which means collared shirts without a tie.
- His tie was loose, and the top 2 buttons of his shirt undone with his sleeves rolled up to his elbows.
- The frog bra doesn't completely eliminate bounce for me, so I wear a snug fitting Lycra sport shirt as well.
- She sported a white tank-top shirt that was worn around her slim, feminine body.
- Already seated were two older men, both dressed casually in khaki pants and open sport shirts, and wearing serious but dour expressions on their faces.
- Not one of his better days in a first team shirt but then he was hardly helped by the people around him…
- The former York City loan-ranger is in line to strengthen his claims for a first team shirt at Sunderland this season.
- Meanwhile, the keeper has welcomed the new competition for his first team shirt.
Phrases
keep your shirt on
lose one's shirt
put one's shirt on
the shirt off (or on) one's back
Derivatives
shirted
- He left his white-haired, green dressed wife and his black-haired, yellow shirted kid in a diaper at home.
- And the goal (no matter how much luck played its part), seemed to lift a huge weight off the white shirted players, as they visibly improved for the remaining half hour of football.
- Cushioned cane chairs and large tables with blue cloths give the place a ‘picnic’ atmosphere, and the brightly shirted attendants all heighten the tropical impression.
Origin
Old English scyrte, of Germanic origin; related to Old Norse skyrta (compare with skirt), Dutch schort, German Schürze 'apron', also to short; probably from a base meaning 'short garment'.
The garments shirt and skirt (Middle English) share an ancient root, which is also that of short, the basic sense probably being ‘short garment’. The idea behind shirty (mid 19th century), ‘bad-tempered or annoyed’, is the same as that behind keep your shirt on, ‘don't lose your temper, stay calm’. The offended or riled person is about to take his shirt off ready for a fight. In lose your shirt or put your shirt on the shirt is seen as the very last possession that you could use to bet with.