[setup]{n. phr.} (stress on "set") 1. Arrangement, management, circumstances. •/Boy, you really have a wonderful setup in your office!/ •/I just can’t do my work in such a messy setup!/ 2. Financial arrangement. •/It is a fairly generous setup sending your uncle $1,000 a month./

[set upon] See: SET ON.

[seven] See: AT SIXES AND SEVENS.

[seventh heaven]{n. phr.}, {literary} The pinnacle of happiness. •/We were in seventh heaven when the helicopter flew us over the magnificent Grand Canyon./

[sewed up]{adj. phr.}, {informal} Won or arranged as you wish; decided. •/They thought they had the game sewed up, but the other team won it with a touchdown in the last quarter./ •/Dick thought he had the job sewed up, but another boy got it./ Compare: IN THE BAG.

[sexual harassment]{n. phr.} The act of constantly making unwanted advances of a sexual nature for which the offended party may seek legal redress. •/The court fined Wilbur Catwallender $750,000 for sexual harassment of two of his female employees./

[shack up with]{v. phr.}, {slang} To move in with (someone) of the opposite sex without marrying the person. •/Did you know that Ollie and Sue aren’t married? They just decided to shack up for a while./ See: LIGHT HOUSEKEEPING.

[shadow] See: AFRAID OF ONE’S SHADOW, EYE SHADOW.

[shaggy dog (story)]{n. phr.} A special kind of joke whose long and often convoluted introduction and development delay the effect of the punch line. •/Uncle Joe only seems to bore his audiences with his long shaggy dog jokes, for when he comes to the long-awaited punch line, he gets very few laughs./

[shake] See: MORE THAN ONE COULD SHAKE A STICK AT.

[shake a leg]{v. phr.}, {slang} To go fast; hurry. •/Shake a leg! The bus won’t wait./ Compare: STEP ON IT.

[shakedown]{n.} 1. A test. •/Let’s take the new car out and give it a shakedown./ 2. An act of extorting money by threatening. •/It was a nasty shakedown, to get $500 from the old man, promising to protect him./

[shake down]{v. phr.} 1. To cause to fall by shaking. •/He shook some pears down from the free./ 2. {informal} To test, practice, get running smoothly (a ship or ship’s crew). •/The captain shook down his new ship on a voyage to the Mediterranean Sea./ 3. {slang} To get money from by threats. •/The gangsters shook the store owner down every month./

[shake in one’s shoes] or [shake in one’s boots] {v. phr.}, {informal} To be very much afraid. •/The robber shook in his boots when the police knocked on his door./

[shake off]{v.}, {informal} To get away from when followed; get rid of; escape from. •/A convict escaped from prison and shook off the officers trying to follow him./ •/Tom could not shake off his cold./

[shake the dust from one’s feet]{v. phr.} To depart or leave with some measure of disgust or displeasure. •/Jim was so unhappy in our small, provincial town that he was glad to shake the dust from his feet and move to New York./

[shake up]{v.}, {informal} To bother; worry; disturb. •/The notice about a cut in pay shook up everybody in the office./

[shake-up]{n.} A change; a reorganization. •/After the scandal there was a major shake-up in the Cabinet./

[shame] See: FOR SHAME, PUT TO SHAME.

[shape] See: IN SHAPE, OUT OF SHAPE, TAKE SHAPE.

[shape up]{v. phr.}, {informal} 1. To begin to act or work right; get along satisfactorily. •/If the new boy doesn’t begin to shape up soon, he’ll have to leave school./ •/"How is the building of the new gym coming along?" "Fine. It’s shaping up very well."/ 2. To show promise. •/Plans for our picnic are shaping up very well./

[shape up or ship out]{v. phr.}, {informal} To either improve one’s disposition or behavior, or quit or leave. •/When Paul neglected to carry out his part of the research work that Professor Brown had assigned him with for the fifth time, the professor cried, "Shape up, or ship out, Paul. I have lost my patience with you!"/

[sharp] See: LOOK SHARP.

[sharp as a tack]{adj. phr.} 1. Very neatly and stylishly dressed •/That new boy always looks sharp as a tack in class./ 2. Very intelligent; smart; quick-witted. •/Tom is sharp as a tack; he got 100 on every test./

[shed light on] or upon See: CAST LIGHT ON; THROW LIGHT ON.

[sheep] See: WOLF IN SHEEP’S CLOTHING.

[sheepskin]{n.} Diploma. •/Dr. Miller has half a dozen different sheepskins hanging on the wall of his office./

[sheet] See: SCANDAL SHEET, THREE SHEETS IN THE WIND or THREE SHEETS TO THE WIND.

[shelf] See: ON THE SHELF.

[shell] See: IN ONE’S SHELL or INTO ONE’S SHELL, OUT OF ONE’S SHELL.

[shell out]{v.}, {informal} To pay or spend. •/Dick had to shell out a lot of money for his new car./

[shift for oneself]{v. phr.} To live or act independently with no help, guidance or protection from others; take care of yourself. •/Mrs. McCarthy was forced to shift for herself after her husband died./

[shine] See: RAIN OR SHINE, TAKE A SHINE TO.

[shine up to]{v.}, {slang} To try to please; try to make friends with. •/Smedley shines up to all the pretty girls./

[shingle] See: HANG OUT ONE’S SHINGLE.

[ship] See: GIVE UP THE SHIP, LANDING SHIP.

[ship come in] All the money a person has wished for is received; wealth comes to a person. Used with a possessive. •/When my ship comes in, I will take a trip to Norway./ •/Mr. Brown is just waiting for his ship to come in./

[ship out]{v.} To begin a journey; leave. •/The army group shipped out for the Far East today./

[shipshape]{adj.} In perfect condition; in good order. •/After we left the islands, we left the rented car shipshape for the next driver./

[shirk one’s duty]{v. phr.} To be negligent or irresponsible. •/If you continue to shirk your duty, you can expect to be fired./

[shirt] See: GIVE THE SHIRT OFF ONE’S BACK, KEEP ONE’S SHIRT ON, LOSE ONE’S SHIRT.

[shoe] See: COMFORTABLE AS AN OLD SHOE, COMMON AS AN OLD SHOE, FILL ONE’S SHOES, IF THE SHOE FITS, WEAR IT, IN ONE’S SHOES, SHAKE IN ONE’S SHOES, SADDLE SHOE, STEP INTO ONE’S SHOES, WHERE THE SHOE PINCHES.

[shoe on the other foot] The opposite is true; places are changed. •/He was my captain in the army but now the shoe is on the other foot./

[shoestring] See: ON A SHOESTRING.

[shoestring catch]{n.} A catch of a hit baseball just before it hits the ground. •/The left fielder made a shoestring catch of a line drive to end the inning./

[shoo away]{v. phr.} To frighten or chase away. •/When the children gathered around the new sports car, we shooed them away./

[shoo-in]{n.}, {informal} Someone or something that is expected to win; a favorite; sure winner. •/Chris is a shoo-in to win a scholarship./ •/Do you think he will win the election? He’s a shoo-in./ •/This horse is a shoo-in. He can’t miss winning./ Syn.: SURE THING(1).

[shoot ahead of] or [past] or [through] or [alongside of] {v. phr.} To move or drive ahead rapidly. •/As we had to slow down before the tunnel, a red sports car shot ahead of us./