▪ I. shoulder, n.
(ˈʃəʊldə(r))
Forms: 1 sculdur, sculdor, sculder, scyldur, 3 sculder, (solder), scholdur, 3–4 shuldre, 3–5 schuldre, 3–6 scholder, 4–5 schuldur, -dyr, 3–8 sholder, 4–6 s(c)hulder, schuldir, schuldere, sholdre, 4 s(c)holdere, (soldre), 5 schuldire, -dyre, s(c)hildur, shuldur, shuder, (6 shoder, schodyr, showlder, Sc. schowder, 7 souldiour, Sc. sulder, shuldeir), 8–9 Sc. shouther, 6– shoulder. pl. α. 1 sculdru, -o, -a, (north. dat. scyldrum), 3 shulldre (Ormin), 4 shuldre; β. sculderen, schuldren, ssoldren, 3–5 scholdren, shuldren, 6 shouldren; γ. 3 sculdres, 3–5 shuldres; 4 shuldris (chuldris, schylderez, Sc. schuldrys), 4–5 schuldris, shulderis, scholdres, 4–6 schulderis, sholdres, schulder(e)s, 5–6 schuldiris, 5 s(c)hildres, soldrys, 6 schouldiris, Sc. schildris; also 5– as sing. + -s.
[OE. sculdor masc. corresponds (exc. in declension and gender, app. evidenced only in one passage) to OFris. skulder, skolder (WFris. skouder, Hindelopen skoalder, NFris. skoller), MLG. schulder, MDu. schouder(e masc. (mod.Du. schouder fem.), OHG. scultarra, scultirra fem. (MHG., mod.G. schulter fem.); not found in ON.; the MSw., Sw. skuldra fem., Da. skulder, are prob. early adoptions from LG. As the OE. pl. sculdru is anomalous for a masculine n., it has been suggested that it may represent a dual. The ONorthumbrian scyldr- seems to represent the WGer. *skuldrja fem. which is indicated by the OHG. forms.
The affinities of the WGer. word are disputed: see Heyne in Grimm Deutsches Wb. s.v. Some scholars (e.g. Kluge, Brugmann) hold that *skuldr- is a dissimilated form of *skurdr-, related by ablaut to *skard- in OHG. scarti shoulder.]
1. a. Each of the two corresponding portions (right and left) of the human body, including the upper joint of the arm with its integuments and the portion of the trunk between this and the base of the neck; esp. the curved upper surface of this; in pl. often including the part of the back between the two. In quadrupeds, the upper part of the fore-limb and the adjacent part of the back.
| a 700 Epinal Gloss. 963 Scapula, sculdur. 971 Blickl. Hom. 127 Is þonne on westan medmycel duru þæt mannes heafod ᵹe þa sculdro maᵹan in. c 1000 Sax. Leechd. II. 198 & of þære stowe ofer ealle þa sidan astihð..oþ ðone swiþran sculdor þæt sar. c 1200 Ormin 4776 All samenn, brest..& shulldre, & bacc, & side. 1297 R. Glouc. (Rolls) 7449 Hou longe ssolle hor luþer heued aboue hor ssoldren be. 1375 Barbour Bruce i. 386 Bot off lymmys he wes weill maid, With banys gret & schuldrys braid. 1423 Jas. I Kingis Q. xcvi, Venus..that had A mantill cast ouer hir schuldris quhite. 1523–34 Fitzherb. Husb. §57 If thou shalte bye fatte oxen..se that they be soft..behynde the shulder, and vpon the hindermost rybbe. 1576 Turberv. Venerie lviii. 161 You shall know him [a male hare] if you marke his shoulders well before he ryse, for they are redder than a female Hares be. 1596 Nashe Saffron Walden P 3, I, euen from a childe..replide Scarlet, and made a mouth at him ouer his shoulder. 1611 Bible 1 Sam. xvii. 6 And he had..a target of brasse between his shoulders. 1722 Ramsay Three Bonnets ii. 16 That braw blue stringing That's at your houghs and shuthers hinging. 1753 Chambers' Cycl. Suppl. s.v. Horse, The part from the withers to the top joint of the thigh, is called the shoulder. 1774 Foote Cozeners ii. (1778) 37 Shoulders back, Toby; and chest a little more out! 1832 Tennyson Œnone 58 A leopard skin Droop'd from his shoulder. 1845 Budd Dis. Liver 84 A gnawing, aching pain, about the top of the shoulder. 1897 Encycl. Sport I. 329/2 (Dogs) Shoulder, the top of the shoulder blade, the point from which the height of a dog is measured. |
b. In fishes (
sing. and pl.), the upper part of the trunk, adjoining the head.
cod's head and shoulders: see cod's head 2.
| 1820 Q. Rev. May 277 Here's a cod's head and shoulders With soles for upholders. 1839–47 R. Jones Pisces in Todd's Cycl. Anat. III. 958/1 The anterior extremity or pectoral fin comprehends the shoulder, which is an osseous semicircle composed of many bones, suspended at the upper part to the cranium or spine. 1859 Habits Gd. Society v. 222 The shoulder is the best part [of a fish], and should be first helped. |
c. The upper part of the wing or wing-case of a bird, beetle, butterfly, etc. adjoining the point of articulation; of a bird,
spec. the carpal joint.
| 1735 J. Moore Columbarium 49 The Chain does not come down so low to the Shoulders of the Wings. 1753 Chambers' Cycl. Suppl. s.v. Scarabæus, The reddish beetle with two spots on the shoulders. 1832 T. Brown Bk. Butterflies & M. (1834) I. 174 The upper wings [of the butterfly] are..marked with two acute triangular patches of crimson on the shoulders. 1899 D. Sharp Insects ii. vi. 316 In some Sphingidae there is the unusual condition of a highly-developed shoulder coexisting with a perfect frenulum and retinaculum. |
d. = shoulder-joint lit. and
fig.; chiefly in
to put one's shoulder out.
| 1611 Cotgr., Espauler, to burst a shoulder, to put a shoulder out of ioynt. 1847 Halliwell s.v., A young lady who has unfortunately listened to the persuasions of the other sex, is said to have a slip of the shoulder. 1886 Cheshire Gloss. s.v. Shoother, ‘To put one's shoulder out’ is an idiom meaning to take offence. |
2. Phrases.
† a. to be more, lower by the shoulders: to be head and shoulders taller or shorter in stature.
Obs. (
Cf. head n.1 50.)
| a 1300 Havelok 982 Þan was hauelok bi þe shuldren more Þan þe meste þat þer kam. 1470 Paston Lett. II. 394 He is..lower then my lytell Tom by the schorderys [sic]. |
b. over the shoulder,
† over (the) shoulders:
† (
a) indicating that what is said is meant ironically for the reverse; ‘over the left’; (
b) said of a remark aimed indirectly at some one.
| (a) 1596 Nashe Saffron Walden O 2 b, By these complots.. Wolfe could not choose but bee a huge gainer, a hundred marke at least ouer the shoulder. 1611 Cotgr. s.v. Espaule, Par dessus l'espaule, ouer the shoulder,..and hence; Riche, ou vertueux, par dessus l'espaule; (signifies) a verie begger, or, an arrant knaue. 1631 R. H. Arraignm. Whole Creature x. §1. 74 They prove not bread unto them, as they thought, but Huskes which they thought not: they gaine over shoulders by them, when all their Cards are cast. 1675 V. Alsop Anti-Sozzo iii. 194, I think our Author has either lost money by his Discourse, or got it over the shoulders. |
| (b) 1847 Helps Friends in C. i. vii. 105 That which may be called criticism over the shoulder. |
c. to put an old head on young shoulders: to make a young person as staid or experienced as an elderly one; similarly
to have an old head on young shoulders.
to have a head upon one's shoulders: to have good sense.
| 1824 Scott St. Ronan's i, ‘They were daft callants,’ she said, ‘..ye could not put an auld head upon young shouthers.’ 1837 Marryat Perc. Keene xix, You appear to have an old head upon very young shoulders. 1883 Stevenson Treas. Isl. xxxii, ‘Well, that's so,’ he said. ‘You've a head upon your shoulders, John, and no mistake.’ |
d. shoulder to shoulder:
lit. of soldiers, so as to shoulder one another, in close conflict; also, in rank, in close formation; hence
fig. of persons, with united effort, with mutual co-operation and support.
| a 1586 Sidney Arcadia iii. (Sommer) 293 So as both the horses & men met shoulder to shoulder. 1625 Markham Souldiers Accid. 5 A Ranke..is a Row of men placed Pouldron to Pouldron, or Shoulder to Shoulder. a 1627 Hayward Edw. VI (1630) 32 The Scots..cloased and in a manner locked themselues together, shoulder to shoulder. 1889 Jessopp Coming of Friars iii. 118 We are..strongest when we are labouring shoulder to shoulder for some common object. 1894 Donovan With Wilson in Matabeleland 301 That band of heroes who died shoulder to shoulder. |
e. Horsemanship. (Cavalry.)
shoulder forward! right (or left) shoulders (in)! orders given for a rider to ‘bend’ his horse so that he moves obliquely to the right or left for alteration of position or direction in marching; also, the performance of this order.
| 1796 Instr. & Regul. Cavalry (1813) 136 The officer..gives a word, Shoulder (the outward one) forward! on which the man next to himself gradually turns his horse so as to arrive in the new line perfectly square in his own person. 1833 Ibid. I. 80 When he is properly bent in ‘Shoulder-in’, his whole body from head to tail is curved, and he will move in two lines parallel to the sides of the manege. 1844 Ibid. 18 Bending Lesson. The Ride being in file... ‘Right Shoulder in.’ The horses' heads to be brought into the school with the (inward) or right rein [etc.]. Ibid. 107 When the change [of direction] is to be made to the Pivot hand, the Leader of the Head of the Column..will give the word ‘Right (or Left) shoulders’. |
f. (straight) from the shoulder: (of a blow) with the fist brought to the shoulder and then swiftly sent forward; (of pulling or other movements) with the arm kept straight, not ‘from the elbow’; also
fig.| 1856 Reade Never too late xv, No! give me a chap that hits out straight from the shoulder. 1859 Lillywhite's Guide to Cricketers (ed. 12) 17 Wriggling and twisting your body instead of letting your arms go from the shoulder. 1864 Bohn's Handbk. Games 516 The stroke should be made freely from the shoulder, and not in a cramped manner from the elbow. 1904 W. H. Smith Promoters v. 103 You'll..be in a shape to talk business, right from the shoulder. 1911 R. D. Saunders Col. Todhunter ix. 118 A man that talks old-fashioned American Democracy straight from the shoulder. 1926 N. Coward Easy Virtue i. 10, I must..have a talk to her... A straight-from-the-shoulder chat might make her see things in a better light. 1947 L. P. Hartley Eustace & Hilda xi. 182 That letter had been written straight from the shoulder, or the heart. 1963 V. Nabokov Gift iv. 214 He subsequently wrote it right down, straight from the shoulder, in three nights. 1977 Gramophone Aug. 291/3 As to the power and authority, he takes Beethoven at his word when he sees an ff mark and lets you have it right from the shoulder. |
g. to rub shoulders with: see
rub v. 5 b.
h. to weep (or cry) on (a person's) shoulder: to pour out one's troubles to a person; also in
phr. a shoulder to cry on, a sympathetic and consoling listener to a person's troubles.
| 1935 H. L. Ickes Diary 10 Feb. (1953) I. 292, I called Tugwell yesterday afternoon to tell him that if he wanted any shoulder to weep on, mine was a broad one. 1942 T. Bailey Pink Camellia iii. 19 She likes to talk of her troubles and weep on people's shoulders. 1966 L. Deighton Billion Dollar Brain xvi. 163 I'm always weeping on your shoulder. 1974 ‘J. le Carré’ Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy xviii. 158, I asked ‘What did he want?’ And Ann said ‘A shoulder to cry on.’ Bill..wanted to pour out his heart, she said. |
i. off-the-shoulder (
attrib. phr.): of a dress, blouse, etc., that leaves the shoulders bare.
| [1813 Jane Austen Let. 15 Sept. (1932) 322 Stays now are not made to force the bosom up at all... I was really glad to hear that they are not to be so much off the shoulders as they were.] 1952 S. Kauffmann Philanderer (1953) xiv. 232 She was wearing an off-the-shoulder white blouse. 1960 Guardian 5 Jan. 6/7 A golden off-the-shoulder evening dress of only eight years ago. 1974 Country Life 17 Jan. 106/3 Off-the-shoulder and square necklines. |
3. a. As the part of the body on which burdens are carried; also, as the seat of muscular strength employed in carrying, pushing, etc.
| c 950 Lindisf. Gosp. Luke xv. 5, & miððy ᵹemoetað hia on-settað on scyldrum his ᵹefeande. a 1300 Cursor M. 12033 Wit scholdur gaf he him a scou. 1600 J. Pory tr. Leo's Africa ix. 343 The shee apes carrie their whelpes vpon their shoulders. 1697 Dryden Virg. Georg. iii. 800 He Yokes himself, and..With his own Shoulders draws the Waggon's Weight. 1697 ― æneid ii. 659 Then all their Shoulders ply, 'Till from the Posts the brazen Hinges fly. 1842 Tennyson Morte d'Arthur 164 Make broad thy shoulders to receive my weight, And bear me to the margin. |
b. transf. Of things quasi-personified.
| 1602 Shakes. Ham. i. iii. 56 Aboord, aboord for shame, The winde sits in the shoulder of your saile. 1849 Longfellow By Seaside, Lightho. xi, And steadily against its solid form Press the great shoulders of the hurricane. 1901 H. Trench Deirdre Wed 33 So a swimmer is uplifted Horsed on a streaming shoulder of the Sea. |
c. fig. and in
fig. context.
| c 950 Lindisf. Gosp. Matt. xxiii. 4 Hia ᵹebindas uutedlice byrðenna hefiᵹa..& settas in scyldrum vel bæccum monna. 1382 Wyclif Isa. x. 27 And it shal be in that dai, shal be don awey his berthene fro thi shulder. 1533 Tindale Supper of the Lord B vij, Syr ye..haue taken to great a burden vpon your weke shoulders. 1593 Shakes. 3 Hen. VI, ii. vi. 100 Ed. Euen as thou wilt sweet Warwicke, let it bee: For in thy shoulder do I builde my Seate. 1671 Milton P.R. ii. 462 A Crown..Brings..sleepless nights To him..When on his shoulders each mans burden lies. 1775 Earl Carlisle in Jesse Selwyn & Contemp. (1844) III. 133 Thus this affair is off my shoulders for a little time. 1841 Thackeray Gt. Hoggarty Diam. x, All the debts are put upon my shoulders, on account of my known wealth. 1860–70 Stubbs Lect. Europ. Hist. i. viii. (1904) 97 Charles..was desirous..to rid his own shoulders of the pressure of imperial business. |
† d. Phrases (all
Obs.).
to go to shoulder with: to set about pushing.
to lend a shoulder,
to put under one's shoulder: to help to lift or carry something.
to set shoulder against,
to set one's shoulder against: to oppose strongly or forcibly.
narrow in the shoulders: incapable of bearing ridicule.
| 1551 Robinson tr. More's Utopia (1895) 10 An other is so narrow in [ed. 2, betwene] the sholders, that he can beare no iestes nor tawntes. 1577 tr. Bullinger's Decades iv. viii. (1592) 725 That the doctrine of godlinesse should be spred thoroughout the whole worlde,..maugre the might of the whole worlde, setting shoulder against the same all in vaine. 1583 Golding Calvin on Deut. xvi. 94 That hee..shoulde not forbeare..to put vnder his shoulder (as they say) to beare a peece of the burthen. c 1630 Risdon Surv. Devon §330 (1810) 341 All such whose wives have the sovereignty, should go to shoulder with that stone. 1647 Sanderson Serm. (1674) II. 200 It may be..they will..lend a shoulder, yea, and sweat, to lift us up yet higher. a 1663 Ibid. 306 Though all the powers in earth and hell should..set to all their shoulders and strength against it. |
e. to put (occas. lay, set) one's shoulder to the wheel: (literally) so as to extricate the vehicle from the mire; hence
fig. to set to work vigorously. So also
to put, set one's shoulder to (work, a task, etc.).
| 1678 Marvell Growth Popery 39 If it had hitherto seemed to go up-hill, there was a greater cause to put the whole shoulder to it. 1692 R. L'Estrange Fables ccxlvi. 213 Lay your Shoulder to the Wheel, and Prick your Oxen. 1792 F. Burney Diary June, We must all put our shoulders to the work. 1837 Carlyle Fr. Rev. III. ii. v, They..instead of pushing on all shoulders at the wheel, will stand idle there. |
f. to open the shoulders: to give free play to the muscles of the shoulders in making a stroke; to ‘let out’.
| 1882 [see open v. 3]. 1892 E. V. Lucas Songs of Bat 7 But the batsman knows a finer joy When he opens his shoulders and drives! |
4. a. The fore-leg and adjacent parts cut from the carcass of a deer, sheep or other animal; a joint consisting of this prepared for the table.
| c 1320 Sir Tristr. 497 Þe forster for his riȝtes Þe left schulder [of a hart] ȝaf he. 1382 Wyclif Exod. xxix. 27 And thou shalt halwe..the shuldre that thow seuerdist fro the wether. 1428–9 Rec. St. Mary at Hill (1905) 71 Also payd for..a sholdere & a brist of moton iiij d ob. 1583–4 Shuttleworths' Acc. (Chetham Soc.) 19 Vnto a mane w{supc}{suph} broughte a shoulder of a stagge frome Lyme xij d. 1641 J. Murrell Cookerie (ed. 5) 6 A Shoulder of Mutton with Oliues and Capers. 1731–8 Swift Pol. Conversat. 122 I'll help myself to a Slice of this Shoulder of Veal. 1848 Thackeray Van. Fair vi, The knife-boy was caught stealing a cold shoulder of mutton. 1913 Times 13 Sept. 18/6 Bacon continued fair... Shoulders were sparingly offered at full prices. |
b. cold shoulder: see
cold shoulder n. and v.
c. shoulder of mutton, used
† (
a) proverbially.
as good, wholesome, etc. as a shoulder of mutton to a sick horse: no good at all.
one shoulder of mutton draws down another: eating induces eating.
a shoulder of mutton for a sheep's head: something of worth
for a substitute of comparatively little value.
Obs.| 1546 J. Heywood Prov. (1867) 70 Thou art..As holsome a morsell for my comely cors As a shoulder of mutton for a sicke hors. 1687 Miege Gt. Fr. Dict. ii. s.v. Shoulder, One Shoulder of Mutton draws down another, (Prov.) en mangeant l'Appetit vient. 1700 T. Brown Amusem. Ser. & Com., Marriage Wks. 1709 III. i. 66 As two Shoulders of Mutton drive down one another, so two powerful Griefs destroy one another. 1725 Bailey tr. Colloq. Erasmus (1878) I. 228 Ho! I find I was out in my Notion; to leave a Shoulder of Mutton for a Sheep's Head [orig. Hem! pro thesauro carbones]. |
(
b)
attrib. with similative notion.
shoulder of mutton fist: a large, heavy, fleshy fist; hence
shoulder-of-mutton fisted adj. shoulder of mutton sail: a triangular sail attached to a mast; hence
shoulder of mutton rig.
| 1694 Motteux tr. Rabelais iv. xv. 64 The crippled Bum had struck him such a horrid thump with his Shoulder-of-Mutton-Fist. 1719 De Foe Crusoe i. (Globe) 232, I..made a Three-corner'd vgly Thing, like what we call in England, a Shoulder of Mutton Sail, to go with a Boom at Bottom. 1831 E. J. Trelawny Adv. Younger Son III. 228 What sailors call, a shoulder-of-mutton rig, the larger part..being in the body of the boat. 1880 Harper's Mag. LXI. 350/2 But the Hampton boat—a modified pink-stern, with shoulder-of-mutton sails on its small masts—was the ‘abler’..to stand the exigencies of all sorts of weather. 1900 F. T. Bullen With Christ at Sea x. 194 A great raw-boned, shoulder-of-mutton fisted fellow. 1961 F. H. Burgess Dict. Sailing 187 Shoulder-of-mutton sail, name given to the triangular Bermudan sail. |
5. a. That part of a garment which covers the wearer's shoulder.
| 1473–4 Acc. Ld. High Treas. Scot. I. 25 Item..iij quarteris of blac for the Kingis gowne schulderis. 1696–7 Act 8 & 9 Will. III, c. 30 §2 Upon the Shoulder of the right Sleeve of the uppermost Garment. 1855 Lady E. Finch Sampler (ed. 2) 103 Gather the shoulders and the back. |
b. Leather trade. The portion of a hide between the butt and the cheeks. Also, see
quot. 1858 .
| 1858 Simmonds Dict. Trade, Shoulders, a name in the leather trade for tanned or curried hides and kips, as well as for English and foreign offal. 1885 H. R. Procter Text-bk. Tanning viii. 155 A piece called a ‘middle’ is sometimes taken between the butt and the shoulder. |
6. a. A projection or protuberance resembling the human shoulder in shape, position or function; that part of a thing where it widens or swells out to greater bulk from what may be viewed as its head or neck.
| 1545 R. Ascham Toxoph. ii. (Arb.) 137, I call that the shoulder in a heade [of an arrow] whyche a mans finger shall feele afore it come to the poynte. 1587 L. Mascall Govt. Cattle (1596) 157 A nayle well made should haue no shoulder at all, but still lesser and lesser toward the poynt. 1680 Moxon Mech. Exerc. xi. 197 The Rowler must also be so long between its Shoulders, that it may conveniently contain so many Diameters of String as shall be necessary. 1794 Rigging & Seamanship I. 157 The pin..with a shoulder on the upper side. 1839 F. A. Griffiths Artil. Man. 39 [Plate] Shoulder of the Trunnion. 1857 Birch Anc. Pottery (1858) II. 79 The neck [of the amphora] is not cylindrical, but slopes upon the shoulders. 1873 Bennett & Cavendish Billiards 339 To make the hazard, play at the shoulder of the pocket. 1910 R. P. Spiers in Encycl. Brit. VIII. 420 The lintel of the Greek doorway projected on either side beyond the dressings, constituting what are known as the shoulders or knees. |
b. A sudden inward curvature in the outline of something, from which it tapers to a point.
| 1618 W. Lawson New Orch. & Garden x. (1623) 27 The Graft is..with a sharpe knife fitted in the knot..with shoulders an ynch downeward, and so put into the stock. 1688 Holme Armoury iii. xv. (Roxb.) 20/2 The end [of a pen] in which the slit is, is called the cheeks; and the shoulders is the highest cut. 1834 D. Low Elem. Pract. Agric. iv. 150 [In ploughing] it is important that the ridge be formed with a uniform curvature, so that it shall not have what is technically termed a shoulder, or hollow part on each side of the crown. 1873 Tristram Moab i. 3 Skirting the coast of the Dead Sea till they passed the shoulder of the Peninsula of the Lisan. |
c. A rebate which serves as an abutment; a projection which serves as a support.
| 1669 Sturmy Mariner's Mag. v. xiii. 83 Then turn a Foot thereto with a Shoulder to put the Trunk upon. 1799 J. Robertson Agric. Perth 272 The middle space is cut down..and well cleaned out, so that it has..six inches of firm ground for shoulders on each side. On these shoulders or abutments sods..are laid. 1812 P. Nicholson Mech. Exerc. 172 To form the tenon; cut the shoulders in with the drawing knife. 1857 Colquhoun Comp. Oarsman's Guide 30 Those timbers which come up to strengthen the row⁓locks are called shoulders. |
d. Fortif. = epaule.
| 1672 A. Tacquett Milit. Archit. iv. 7 The Bulwork will be very much straitned..and the Angle of the shoulders made so much the less. |
e. The flat surface below the letter, etc. on the shank of a type.
| 1683 Moxon Mech. Exerc., Printing 369 Beard of a Letter, is the outer angle of the Square Shoulder of the Shank. 1882 Southward Pract. Printing (1884) 12 Certain small capital letters..have nicks at the back of the stem near the shoulder. |
f. The projection between the blade and the tang (of a knife, chisel, etc.) which abuts on the handle.
| 1683 Moxon Mech. Exerc., Printing xxi. ¶4 A short piece of a Knife broken off about two Inches from the Sholder. 1810 C. James Milit. Dict. (ed. 3), Shoulder, the upper part of the blade of a sword is so called. 1884 R. F. Burton Bk. Sword 124 The tang,..the thin spike which projects from the shoulders or thickening of the blade. |
† g. Each of the two stones adjacent to the keystone of an
arch. Obs.| a 1734 North Life Dudley North (1744) 198 To secure a Compass Arch, it was necessary by weight, or some other Means, to keep down the Shoulders, which, rising, let the Crown, or Key, fall in. |
h. A comparatively gentle slope on the side of a hill and near the top.
| 1817 Blackw. Mag. Oct. 84/2 Millar..brought his drove over the shoulder of Wallace's hill. 1885–94 R. Bridges Eros & Psyche June xii, The road, Which from the mountain shoulder o'er the plain Led to the city. |
i. pl. The broadest part (of a bunch of grapes).
| 1838 Penny Cycl. XI. 357/1 A bunch [of grapes]..upwards of 21 inches in length, and 19 inches across the shoulders. |
j. The edge of a road;
spec. a strip at the side of the main carriageway on which vehicles may stop in an emergency.
Cf. hard shoulder s.v. hard a. 23 b;
soft shoulder s.v. soft a. 29.
orig. U.S.| 1933 Sun (Baltimore) 27 Dec. 8/7, I..stayed well over on the shoulder. But..only one of the numerous cars..bothered to move nearer the middle of the road. Repeatedly, I stepped back into the bushes and mud. 1942 Short Guide Gr. Brit. (U.S. War Dept.) 32 Shoulder, (of road)—verge. 1965 ‘E. McBain’ Doll (1966) x. 127 The road was winding and narrow... The shoulders were muddy and soft. 1979 G. Seymour Red Fox xii. 185 The engine coughed and died, barren of petrol... They were about to stop on the hard shoulder. |
k. A poorly resolved subsidiary maximum interrupting a part of a graph otherwise having a fairly uniform or smoothly varying slope.
| 1956 Jrnl. Exper. Med. CIII. 657 The existence of the shoulder in the survival curve..is unequivocal and constitutes evidence for a multiple hit killing mechanism. 1964 Physics in Med. & Biol. IX. 167 If the log of the surviving fraction is plotted against dose on a linear scale, after an initial shoulder, a straight-line graph is obtained. 1977 Nature 17 Feb. 660/2 The asymmetry evident in the low resolution scan is revealed to be a shoulder at ∼ 10 cm—1 to lower energy than the main band which occurs at 1,528 cm—1. |
l. Surfing. (See
quots.)
| 1962 T. Masters Surfing made Easy 65 Shoulder, the unbroken section to the side of a breaking wave. 1965 J. Pollard Surfrider ii. 20 Take this one near the ‘shoulder’, the unbroken part of the wave reached at the end of a slide. 1968 Surfer Mag. Jan. 65/1 Positively the shoulder-hoppers paradise. |
7. An arched piece of wood or metal, or a frame of metal rods, placed under the shoulders of a coat or cloak to be hung up in a wardrobe, a shop-window, etc.
| 1899 Westm. Gaz. 31 July 1/3 Clothes hung about on wooden ‘shoulders’. 1903 Daily Chron. 23 Nov. 4/4 A ‘shoulder’, the technical term for the wooden frame upon which ladies' mantles are hung by linen drapers. |
8. Short for
shoulder-moth (see 9 c).
| 1803 Haworth Lepidoptera Brit. 226 Noctua plecta (the flame Shoulder). |
9. Combs. a. simple
attrib., ‘pertaining to the shoulder’ as
shoulder band,
shoulder belt,
shoulder blanket,
shoulder brooch,
shoulder-fin,
shoulder garment,
shoulder hackle,
shoulder harness,
shoulder pad,
shoulder plaid,
shoulder sack,
shoulder-socket; with the meaning ‘having a shoulder’ (sense 6), as
shoulder-block,
shoulder bolt,
shoulder screw,
shoulder spike.
| 1688 Holme Armoury iii. 97/2 [Seamsters terms] *Shoulder Band. |
| 1968 N.Y. Times 15 Sept. i. 46 A new safety seat, with built-in *shoulder belts, is being developed by the General Motors Corporation. 1976 Billings (Montana) Gaz. 24 June 7-A/5 Ontario on Jan. 1 became the first jurisdiction on the North American continent to require the wearing of available lap or shoulder belts. |
| 1973 A. H. Whiteford North Amer. Indian Arts 69 *Shoulder blankets, worn by males, have checkered or tartan patterns. |
| 1794 Rigging & Seamanship I. 156 *Shoulder⁓block is a large single block, left nearly square at the lower end, or arse of the block. |
| Ibid., Mast-making Plate, *Shoulder bolt. |
| 1902 Cassell's Encycl. Dict. Suppl., *Shoulder brooch, the large brooch worn in the Highland costume, fastening the plaid on the left shoulder. |
| 1681 Grew Musæum i. §v. i. 97 The Scate, or Angel-Fish. His *Shoulder-Fins..expanded. |
| 1608 Willet Hexapla Exod. 651 The ephod or *shoulder garment. |
| 1867 F. Francis Angling x. 299 [In a salmon fly]..g. the *shoulder hackle. |
| 1968 Time 5 Apr. 38 Padded roll bars and *shoulder harnesses are standard on the Shelby Cobra. 1974 Hawkey & Bingham Wild Card xxii. 180 Wallcroft unfastened his seatbelt and shoulder harness and got out [of the car]. |
| 1868 C. L. Eastlake Hints on Household Taste iii. 80 The ‘Cromwell’ chair..is..copied from examples of the seventeenth century... Both the seat and *shoulder-pad are stuffed..with horsehair. 1904 Sci. Amer. 21 May 406/1 Every coat has a shoulder-pad of various thicknesses made of wadding. 1951 Sport 16–22 Mar. 14/3 A slight ‘teacup storm’ occurred in Yorkshire Rugby Union circles because a Leeds team were alleged to be wearing shoulder pads. 1979 R. Perry Bishop's Pawn iii. 51 He ripped seams, split shoulder pads and carved up shoes. |
| 1831 J. Logan Scott. Gaël I. 246 The *shoulder plaid is worn by the present Highlanders chiefly for ornament. |
| 1923 D. H. Lawrence Captain's Doll 232 Alexander was putting the bread back into his *shoulder-sack. 1953 Scrutiny XIX. 289 He pulls out the picture from his shoulder-sack. |
| 1747 Gentl. Mag. 223 The bar..must be fixt to the plate..by a *shoulder screw, allowing a little play between. |
| 1921 D. H. Lawrence Birds, Beasts & Flowers (1923) 81 Shall great wings flame from his *shoulder-sockets Assyrian-wise? |
b. Objective, as
shoulder cutting;
shoulder-shrugging adj.; locative, as
shoulder-fired,
shoulder galled,
shoulder-launched adjs.| 1883 Gresley Gloss. Coal-mining, *Shoulder Cutting (South Staffordshire), cutting the sides of the upper lift of a working place in a Thick-coal colliery next the rib, preparatory to falling the coal. 1967 J. S. Tompkins Weapons of World War III viii. 105 There is also a *shoulder-fired descendant of the bazooka called the LAW, or Light Antitank weapon. 1694 Lond. Gaz. No. 3010/4 A strong grey Gelding..*Shoulder-gal'd. 1974 Times 5 Mar. 6/8 Guards now are equipped with the General Dynamics Redeye infra-red-guided, *shoulder-launched anti-aircraft missile. 1977 Belfast Tel. 22 Feb. 17/4 Our new Blowpipe shoulder-launched missile which is in service with the armed forces of both the United Kingdom and Canada. 1840 Thackeray George Cruikshank Wks. 1900 XIII. 293 A villainous race of *shoulder⁓shrugging mortals are his Frenchmen indeed. |
c. Special comb.:
shoulder angle Fortif. (see
quot.);
shoulder-bag, a bag carried by a strap or straps slung over the shoulder;
shoulder belt = bandoleer;
shoulder board chiefly
U.S., each of the two stiffened pieces of material worn at the shoulders of military uniform and bearing the insignia of rank;
shoulder-brace (see
quot.);
shoulder-butt, a pistol butt shaped for firing from the shoulder;
shoulder cap, (
a)
Antiq. a piece of armour covering the point of the shoulder (
= epaulet 3); (
b)
Surg. see
quot. 1895;
shoulder charge, a charge in which the shoulder is directed at the target; hence as
v. trans.;
shoulder-clapper, an officer charged with the arrest of an offender, a bailiff, sheriff's officer; so
shoulder-clapped,
shoulder-clapping adjs.;
shoulder-cover Ent. = patagium c (
Cent. Dict. 1891);
† shoulder-dash, a sharper's trick of throwing his liquor over his shoulder instead of drinking it;
shoulder-girdle Anat. (see
girdle n.1 4);
shoulder-grafting (see
quot. 1842);
shoulder gun, a gun which is fired from the shoulder, as distinguished from a stancheon or punt gun;
† shoulder-head = shoulder strap 1;
shoulder-height adv., as high as one's shoulder;
shoulder-high adv. = prec.;
adj., that is up to one's shoulder in height;
shoulder-hitter colloq. U.S., one who hits from the shoulder; hence a pugilist, a bully, rough;
shoulder holster, a holster suspended from a shoulder-strap;
† shoulder-knife, a huntsman's knife used to take out the shoulder in cutting up a deer;
shoulder-lappet Ent. (see
quot.);
shoulder-length a.: of hair, etc., that reaches down to the shoulders;
† shoulderlin,
lit. shoulder-linen,
i.e. shoulder-piece (of the ephod);
shoulder line, (
a) a line drawn on the shoulder (of an object); (
b) the line of a woman's garment over the shoulders;
shoulder-lyar Sc., a piece cut from the upper part of the fore-leg of a carcass of beef;
shoulder moth, a collectors' name for certain moths of the family
Noctuidæ (
Cent. Dict.);
shoulder net, a fishing-net with a long pole which slides over the shoulder of the user;
shoulder note Typogr., a marginal note inserted at the top corner of a page;
shoulder patch, a patch attached to the shoulder of a garment and bearing an emblem or insignia;
shoulder-pegged a. (see
quot.);
† shoulder pight a. = shoulder pitched;
† shoulder-pinched,
† pinching (see
quots.);
shoulder pit [after
arm-pit], the hollow under the shoulder of a sheep;
† shoulder pitch = acromion;
† shoulder pitched pa. pple. and ppl. a., (of animals) having the shoulder dislocated;
shoulder plane Woodworking (see
quot. 1954);
shoulder plate = shoulder piece 1;
shoulder pod [
cf. tripod n.], a support for a camera that rests against the shoulder;
† shoulder point, (
a) the point of the shoulder; (
b) a shoulder-knot (
= aglet 2 c);
shoulder-pole, a pole, each end of which rests upon a carrier's shoulder, the load being slung from the centre;
shoulder-rest, a rest for a rifle in experimental firing;
† shoulder-shake v. trans., to shake the shoulders of;
shoulder-shaken a. (of a beast) strained in the shoulder;
shoulder shield, a shield-shaped piece of armour used to protect the shoulder;
shoulder-shot n., a shot fired into the shoulder (of an animal);
shoulder-shot,
-shotten adjs., (of an animal) having a strained or dislocated shoulder (
arch.);
shoulder sling dial., a yoke for carrying (milk) pails;
shoulder slip, a strain or dislocation of the shoulder-joint; hence
shoulder slipped adj.;
† shoulder-splate,
† -splating ns. = shoulder-slip;
† shoulder-splate,
† splated,
-splayed adjs.,
= shoulder-shotten adj.;
shoulder stand, a position in which the body and legs are held up in the air and supported on the shoulders;
† shoulder-stick, a coach passenger carried by the method called ‘shouldering’ (see
shoulder v. 14);
shoulder-striker U.S. = shoulder-hitter;
shoulder-stripe, a collectors' name for a variety of moth;
shoulder-stripe,
-striped adjs., having a stripe of colour on the shoulder (indicating a species of moth);
shoulder tab, each of the two pieces of material worn at the shoulders of military or other uniform and bearing insignia of rank;
shoulder-tap, the action (of a bailiff) of tapping a person on the shoulder; hence
shoulder-tapping;
shoulder throw Judo (see
quot. 1968);
shoulder-tippet Ent. = patagium c (
Cent. Dict.);
† shoulder-torn a. = shoulder-shotten;
shoulder-tuft Ent. = shoulder-lappet;
shoulder-wedge Building (see
quot.);
shoulder wing, a monoplane wing mounted high on the fuselage but not in the highest position;
usu. attrib.;
shoulder-work, carrying of burdens; also, continuously hard work;
shoulder-wrench (see
quot. 1898);
shoulder-yoke, a yoke for carrying pails. Also
shoulder-blade, -bone, -joint, -knot, -piece, -strap.
| 1835 Penny Cycl. IV. 16/2 The angles formed by the faces and flanks which are denominated *shoulder angles. |
| 1912 D. H. Lawrence Let. 19 Aug. (1932) 49 We walked from the Isarthal down here—F. and I—with our German *shoulder-bags on our backs. 1960 L. Davidson Night of Wenceslas ii. 32 She was wearing a gaily coloured cotton frock and a shoulder bag. 1977 P. Theroux Consul's File 48 She sat down and threw her shoulder-bag on a side-table. |
| 1668 Pepys Diary 17 May, Up, and put on my new stuff-suit, with a *shoulder-belt according to the new fashion. 1856 Kane Arct. Expl. I. viii. 85 Our track-lines and shoulder-belts replaced the warps. |
| 1949 J. Steinbeck Russian Jrnl. 20 The uniforms were without insignia and without *shoulder boards. 1980 ‘J. le Carré’ Smiley's People xxv. 295, I saw no shoulder-boards, the guards wore plain clothes. |
| 1875 Knight Dict. Mech., *Shoulder-brace (Surgical), an appliance for treating round shoulders or unconfirmed curvatures of the spine. |
| 1810 Sporting Mag. XXXVI. 273 A rifle pistol..furnished with a pistol *shoulder-but. |
| 1830 Skelton Arms & Armour I. Pl. xxii, Fig. 3. The gorget with *shoulder caps. 1895 Arnold's Catal. Surgical Instrum. 777 Shoulder Cap, moulded leather for the after treatment of dislocation. |
| 1930 Daily Express 6 Oct. 16/2 They exchanged good *shoulder charges, and honours were about even. |
| 1971 Sunday Australian 8 Aug. 3/4 Twice outside the motel where the Springboks were staying they were *shoulder⁓charged by police. 1973 Weekly News (Glasgow) 11 Aug. 7/2 He shoulder-charged the door pushing it open. |
| 1590 Shakes. Com. Err. iv. ii. 37 He's in Tartar limbo..: A back friend, a *shoulder-clapper [hath him]. |
| 1621 J. Taylor (Water-P.) Praise Beggery B 2, He's free from *shoulder⁓clapping Sergeants clawes. |
| 1796 Grose Dict. Vulgar T. (ed. 3), Shoulder Clapper, a bailiff, or member of the catch club. *Shoulder-clapped; arrested. |
| 1711 Puckle Club 19 These brethren in iniquity using finger-shade, mouth-spirt, or *shoulder-dash, drank little 'till the company were mellow. |
| 1868 W. K. Parker (title), A Monograph on the structure and development of the *shoulder-girdle and sternum in the Vertebrata. |
| 1669 Worlidge Syst. Agric. 108 The third way..that is made use of..is *shoulder or Whip-grafting. 1842 Loudon Suburban Hort. 291 Sometimes also the scion is prepared with a shoulder..and this mode is called shoulder-grafting. |
| 1824 P. Hawker Instr. Young Sportsm. 298 *Shoulder duck-guns. 1842 Lacy Mod. Shooter 103 A thin coat of olive oil is the best external application for a shoulder-gun. 1688 *Shoulder-head [see shoulder-strap 1]. |
| 1825 Scott Betrothed xxiii, Many a fair knight would leap *shoulder-height for leave to look on you as free as the brook may! |
| 1837 Carlyle Fr. Rev. I. iii. v, No crowds now to carry you, *shoulder-high, to the immortal gods. 1897 M. Kingsley W. Africa vi. 119 As I walk on through the now shoulder-high grass. |
| 1856 J. Holbrook Mail Bags 27 *Shoulder-hitter, who strikes from the shoulder, ruffian. 1864 Lowell Rebell. Writ. 1890 V. 126 We remember our own roughs and shoulder-hitters at the beginning of the war. |
| 1895 Montgomery Ward Catal. 481/2 *Shoulder Holster, with breast and shoulder strap to wear under coat on left side. 1935 M. M. Atwater Murder in Midsummer xxi. 193 Mr. Henry Smith..buckled on his shoulder-holster, weighted by his old six-shooter. 1973 ‘I. Drummond’ Jaws of Watchdog xiii. 166 Sandro's own gun was in its shoulder-holster. |
| 1576 Turberv. Venerie xlii. (1908) 129 This beyng done, he shall first take out the right shoulder [of the deer] with his *shoulder knyfe. Ibid. xliii. 135. |
| 1899 D. Sharp Insects ii. vi. 312 These appendages [the tegulae] are frequently erroneously called patagia, but have also been called scapulae,..and shoulder-tufts, or *shoulder-lappets. |
| 1951 *Shoulder-length [see cut n.2 17 a]. 1976 C. Dexter Last seen Wearing xxix. 202 Long shoulder-length hair..brushed forward over her face. |
| c 1200 Ormin 954 Off þatt preostess *shulldrelin, & off hiss breostlin baþe. |
| 1916–17 T. Eaton & Co. Catal. Fall & Winter 414/2 Semi-porcelain dinner set has..gold edges and green *shoulder line. 1931 McCall's Mag. Sept. 74 A significant self-fabric cuff and a very notable shoulder line. 1979 Guardian 13 June 12/4 The best of this year's T-shirts..are loose with a dropped shoulderline. |
| 1844 H. Stephens Bk. Farm (1855) II. 693/1 The *shoulder-lyar is a coarse piece, and fit only for boiling fresh to make into broth or beef-tea. |
| 1793 Statist. Acc. Scot. IX. 322 Salmon, grilse and sea trouts, are caught in the night time, by what they term the fishing with the *shoulder-nets. |
| 1882 J. Southward Pract. Printing (1884) 248 *Shoulder notes are placed at the top of a page. 1909 P. Vivian Campion's Wks. 373 The custom is fully explained in a shoulder-note. |
| 1947 A. P. Gaskell Big Game 82 He recalled their first issue of *shoulder-patches. 1970 N. Armstrong et al. First on Moon v. 101 An Apollo 1 shoulder patch..would be left on the moon. |
| 1753 Chambers' Cycl. Suppl., *Shoulder-pegged horses, called in French chevillées, are such as have their shoulders gourdy, stiff, and almost without motion. |
| 1565–6 Blundevil Horsemanship iv. cxiii. (1580) 52 Of the *shoulder pight. That is when the shoulder point or pitch of the shoulder is displaced. |
| 1728 Bailey Dict. (ed. 4), *Shoulder Pincht, a Disease in Horses. |
| 1810 C. James Milit. Dict. (ed. 3), *Shoulder-pinching, a misfortune which befals a horse by labouring or straining when too young. |
| 1607 Topsell Four-f. Beasts 650 The greasie wooll which groweth in the *shoulder pits of sheepe. |
| 1585 Higins Junius' Nomencl. 36/1 Acromium,..the *shoulder pitch or point. |
| 1695 Lond. Gaz. No. 3081/4 One of her Coach Geldings..hath been *shoulder Pitch'd. |
| 1935 N. R. Rogers Technol. Woodwork & Metalwork i. iv. 56 The *Shoulder Plane is intended, as its name implies, for trueing tenon shoulders (end grain). 1954 W. E. Kelsey Carpentry, Joinery & Woodcutting Machinery i. 16 Shoulder planes..are metal rebate planes with a narrow mouth and a low-pitched cutter... They are used chiefly for planing against the end grain and are specially suitable for hardwoods. 1979 A. B. Emary Woodworking xxviii. 121 The bevelled portion of the mouldings can be made with a shoulder plane or a badger plane. |
| 1846 Fairholt Costume Gloss., Epauliere, epaullets, *shoulder-plates. 1847 J. Leitch tr. C. O. Müller's Anc. Art §257.238 The splendid shoulder-plates of a suit of armour. |
| 1963 D. Botting in A. Smith Throw out Two Hands 263 It was possible to make hand-held movie shots (using pistol-grip or *shoulder pod) with lenses of longer focus than usual. 1981 Birds Autumn 18/3 With miniaturisation and the wide use of telephoto lenses,..the stalking technique evolved, using shoulderpods rather than tripods. |
| 1510 Stanbridge Vocabula (W. de W.) A iij, Hec scapula, the *sholder poynt. a 1625 Fletcher Nice Valour iii. i, [He] has hir'd meer rogues..To beat the Soldier..for wearing Shoulder-points, With longer taggs than his. 1740 Somerville Hobbinol i. 316 Then with quick Wheel oblique, his Shoulder-point Beneath his Breast he fix'd. 1910 D. W. Thompson tr. Aristotle's Hist. Anim. i. 12 The part to the back of the neck is the epomis, or ‘shoulder-point’. |
| 1888 Century Mag. Nov. 35/1 A couple of fettered convicts carrying water in a large wooden bucket slung between them on a *shoulder-pole. |
| 1868 Rep. Munitions War 44 That two rifles at a time should be shot for accuracy from two *shoulder-rests, one on the right, the other on the left of the shooting-stand. |
| 1649 Cleveland Chron. Decoll. Car. iii, Charles our dread Sovereign's murdered!—tremble and View what Convulsions *shoulder-shake this Land. |
| 1844 H. Stephens Bk. Farm II. 158 When the roads become very hard, they [beasts] are apt to become *shoulder-shaken. |
| 1824 Meyrick Ant. Armour I. Introd. p. xvi, Their [sc. the retiarii's] left arms were protected by padded linen..out of which issued a *shoulder-shield high enough to guard the face. 1830 Skelton Arms & Armour I. Pl. ix, Fig. 6. The shoulder shield which rendered unnecessary a grande-garde on the breast plate. |
| 1900 Pollok & Thom Sports Burma vi. 212, I gave this [bison] the *shoulder-shot with the remaining barrel of my rifle. |
| 1600 Surflet Country Farm i. xxiii. 126 Oxen..being either *shoulder-shot [orig. F. espaulez] or brused,..are fatted. |
| 1596 Shakes. Tam. Shr. iii. ii. 56 His horse hip'd..and *shoulder-shotten. 1894 K. Grahame Pagan P. 108 He [a horse] seems sorely shrunk and shoulder-shotten. |
| 1813 St. J. Priest Agric. Bucks 297 in Marshall Rev. Rep. Board Agric. (1814) IV. 545 [The milk is] carried home in pails hanging upon a wooden *shoulder sling (as it is called). |
| 1729 Swift Direct. Serv. v. (1745) 71 The Horse will probably take so much Care of him self, as to come off with only a Strain or a *Shoulder-slip. 1898 Syd. Soc. Lex. |
| 1695 Lond. Gaz. No. 3100/4 Lost.., a black Nag above 13 hands,..lately *shoulder slip'd. 1872 Tennyson Gareth & Lynette 740 They shock'd, and Kay Fell shoulder slipt. |
| 1621 J. Taylor (Water-P.) Motto A 4 b, The necke-cricke, spauins, *shoulder⁓splat, and aches. c 1720 W. Gibson Farrier's Guide ii. lxvii. (1738) 222 It is called a Shoulder Splait. |
| 1639 T. de la Grey Compl. Horsem. 309 If your horse be *shoulder splat. |
| 1725 Bradley's Fam. Dict., Soldiers Ointment, an Ointment..for a Horse that is *Shoulder Splaited. |
| 1708 Kersey Dict., *Shoulder-splaiting. |
| 1882 Ogilvie, *Shoulder-splayed. |
| 1956 Kunzle & Thomas Freestanding iv. 44 Inverted *shoulder stand. Start from back lying and raise the legs and hips until vertical. 1977 ‘M. Yorke’ Cost of Silence iv. 32 Sarah was practising the shoulder stand upstairs. |
| 1828 Sporting Mag. XXI. 324 ‘Why do they call the opposition [coach] the Regulator?’ asked Joe Walton's *shoulder-stick one day. |
| 1860 O. W. Holmes Prof. Breakf.-t. ix, No ‘*shoulder-striker’ hits out straighter than a child with its logic. |
| 1819 G. Samouelle Entomol. Compend. 251 Genus Leucania... Sp. 1. Phalæna comma (*shoulder stripe wainscot). |
| 1869 E. Newman Brit. Moths 165 The *Shoulder Stripe (Anticlea badiata). |
| Ibid. 264 The *Shoulder-striped Wainscot (Leucania Comma). |
| 1966 D. Francis Flying Finish v. 66 Gold-braided *shoulder tabs on his navy uniform jacket. |
| 1881 Besant & Rice Chapl. Fleet ii. i, There was no street..where I did not fear..the unfriendly *shoulder-tap of a bailiff. |
| 1842 S. Lover Handy Andy xlv, If I could get on the press I'd quit the *shoulder-tapping profession. |
| 1956 K. Tomiki Judo iii. 73 Seio-nage (*Shoulder-throw). 1960 Oxford Mail 10 Mar. 8/3 Milsom scored a half-point for a shoulder throw then full points for a hip throw and a stranglehold. 1968 K. Smith Judo Dict. 186 Shoulder throws, those made from a standing position and using principally the action of the hands and arms. |
| 1610 Markham Masterp. ii. lix. 311 Of splayting the shoulder, or of *shoulder torne. 1899 *Shoulder-tuft [see shoulder-lappet]. |
| 1887 Dict. Archit. (Arch. Publ. Soc.), *Shoulder wedge..the block of wood secured to the upper side of the principal rafter of a roof truss, to sustain the purlin. |
| 1941 R. A. Saville-Sneath Aircraft Recognition I. ii. 15 Variants of the high-wing type are..*Shoulder-wing, a type in which..the wing-roots join the fuselage at the ‘shoulder’, i.e. lower than the normal high-wing but appreciably higher than the mid-wing position. 1962 L. Deighton Ipcress File v. 33, I noticed a twin-engined shoulder wing Grumman S2F-3. 1969 K. Munson Pioneer Aircraft 1903–14 149/1 The Type A was a single⁓seat, warp-controlled, shoulder-wing monoplane with a 50 h.p. gnome rotary. |
| 1660 South Serm. (1727) IV. 61 It is observed of the Levites, though much of their Ministry was only *Shoulder-work, that they had yet a very considerable Time for Preparation. 1886 Cheshire Gloss., Shoother-wark (shoulder-work), any work that is continuously hard. |
| 1708 Kersey Dict., *Shoulder-wrench, a Strain in a Horse's Shoulder. 1898 Syd. Soc. Lex., Shoulder wrench, a wrench, sprain, or dislocation of the shoulder. |
| 1862 J. Saunders Abel Drake's Wife x, He..adjusted the *shoulder-yoke, hooked on the pails, and rose. |
▸
shoulder surf v.
slang (
orig. U.S.)
intr. to engage in shoulder surfing.
| 1990 Security Managem. Sept. 128/1 A competitor can find out your passwords by..‘*shoulder surfing’ by looking over someone's shoulder as he or she types in the password. 1998 Chicago Tribune 11 Jan. viii. 2/4 Airport thieves can shoulder-surf or videotape you punching in your telephone calling-card number. 2004 ‘Dr. K.’ Hackers' Tales i. 25 The librarian wouldn't punch in the ID and passwords if you were looking over her shoulder, trying to shoulder-surf. |
▸
shoulder surfer n. slang (
orig. U.S.) a person who engages in shoulder surfing.
| 1991 Investor's Business Daily 10 Apr. 8 *Shoulder surfers hang around banks of pay phones and copy down the numbers you punch on the keypad. 2001 Scotsman (Electronic ed.) 3 Mar. We are working hard to control the gangs of shoulder surfers in the area, but the problem is still prominent. |
▸
shoulder surfing n. slang (
orig. U.S.) the practice of surreptitiously watching a person who is using a computer, cashpoint machine, etc., in order to obtain confidential information, such as a password or personal identification number, for fraudulent purposes.
| 1985 Computer Decisions 15 July 32/3 *Shoulder surfing, the stealing of passwords by watching users sign on to systems at their terminals, is generally a ploy of employees. 1995 Forum on Computer Risks (Electronic text) 25 Aug. It is easy to get credit card numbers through dumpster diving, shoulder surfing, dishonest retail employees, and telephone scams. 2001 Evening News (Edinb.) (Electronic ed.) 30 June The hapless banker was fooled out of his bank card and PIN number by thieves using the scam known as ‘shoulder surfing’. |
▪ II. shoulder, v. (
ˈʃəʊldə(r))
Forms: see the
n. [f. shoulder n. Cf. Du. schouderen, LG. schuldern, G. schultern (dial. schullern).] 1. a. trans. To push against (a person or thing) with the shoulder; (of a crowd) to push shoulder against shoulder; hence, to push roughly, unceremoniously, or insolently; to thrust aside with the shoulder; to hustle, jostle. Now
rare or
Obs. exc. as in b.
| c 1300 Havelok 1056 Þe chaunpiouns..Shuldreden he ilc oþer, and lowen. c 1375 Cursor M. 12034 (Fairf.) Wiþ þat þer come a childe in hy and shulderred ihesu with grete enuy. c 1450 in Aungier Syon (1840) 259 If any schulder pusche or threten to smyte another. 1523 Ld. Berners Froiss. I. cccxlii. 537 And in the passyng by, Bernarde sholdred sir Langurantes horse in suche wyse, that the lorde fell out of the sadell. c 1590 Faire Em ii. ii. 35 Sir Rob. Lord Marques, you offerd me disgrace to shoulder me. 1621 Quarles Argalus & P. (1678) 115 So that both men and horse, Shouldring each other, with a double force Fell to the ground. 1713 Rowe Jane Shore v. i, Around her, numberless, the rabble flowed, Shouldering each other, crowding for a view. 1802 Bloomfield Rural Tales 5 You shoulder'd me; then laugh'd to see Me and my Gotch spin down the Hill. |
| fig. 1549 Latimer 2nd Serm. bef. Edw. VI, C iiij, Thys byshoppe was a great man borne, and dyd beare suche a stroke, that he was able to shoulder the Lord Protectour. 1606 J. Carpenter Solomon's Solace xv. 64 Albeit the king hath been sometimes resisted and shouldered by Adoniah. |
b. With
adv. or
advb. phrase expressing the result of the action.
| c 1375 Cursor M. 13741 (Fairf.) Ne wiste þai neuer quat to say ilkan shuldered oþer a-way. 1573 G. Harvey Letter Bk. (Camden) 50 Momus him self wil sooner be shouldrid out of heaven. 1607 Markham Caval. viii. 48 Now for the rules of foule play [in horse-racing], as..the striking your adversaries horse thwart the face.., the shouldring him vp into vneuen pathes..whereby you may indanger to ouer⁓throwe him. 1624 T. Scott Belg. Souldier 31 They haue..by maine force shouldred open the Castillian gates. 1815 Scott Guy M. xxxvi, The stranger..divided the press, shouldering from him..both drunk and sober passengers. 1835 L. Hunt Town iii. (1848) 160 Here at all events he [Dr. Johnson] walked and talked and shouldered wondering porters out of the way. 1846 Dickens Pictures from Italy, Rome 171 Ecclesiastics..having their humility gratified to the utmost, by being shouldered about. 1848 Thackeray Van. Fair vi, ‘Be off, you fools!’ said this gentleman—shouldering off a great number of the crowd. 1850 Kingsley Alton Locke xxviii, He skipped up by the speaker's side, and gently shouldered him down. 1887 Shearman Athletics & Football 349 Trying to shoulder him round and send him staggering off the ball. 1889 F. E. Gretton Memory's Harkback 178 A French Marshal met an English Colonel in the street, and shouldered him off the causeway. |
| fig. 1579 W. Wilkinson Confut. Fam. Love 6 b, For all his..shouldring out the sonne of God. 1617 tr. M. A. de Dominis on Rom. xiii. 12, 15, I conceiue not to what purpose Aristotle..troubled naturall Philosophie, by Shouldring in after Matter and Forme, Priuation for a third principle of naturall bodies. 1638 Mede Rem. Pass. Apocal. iii. Wks. (1672) 586 A Probability stands in place of a Demonstration, till a greater Probability can be brought to shoulder it out. 1784 Cowper Task vi. 839 Custom and prejudice..That govern all things here, should'ring aside The meek and modest truth. 1880 M{supc}Carthy Own Times III. xxxii. 56 The..Briton began to monopolise the officers' posts every⁓where. The natives were shouldered out of the high positions. |
c. To ‘rub shoulders’ with, mix with.
rare.
| 1851 Mayne Reid Scalp Hunters lvii, I had shouldered society..enough to render me slightly sceptical of its sincerity. |
2. transf. of inanimate things.
| 1590 Spenser F.Q. i. xi. 21 The rolling billowes beate the ragged shore, As they the earth would shoulder from her seat. 1603 Drayton Bar. Wars vi. xxiv, Like to some low Brooke..By waste of Waters that is ouer-flow'd, Is sated, till it shouldreth downe the Mound. 1625 N. Carpenter Geog. i. ii. (1635) 23 The Water being the most ponderous and waighty,..shoulders out the Aire. 1630 R. Johnson's Kingd. & Commw. 494 Shouldering all the Northerne shore of the Caspian, it runneth along..by the high looking walls of China. 1644 Digby Nat. Bodies xix. §9. 175 The latter graines were shouldered of by others that already besieged the superficies. 1796 Hist. Ned Evans I. 220 Neither could he conceal his indignation at the vile watch-house shouldering King William's statue. 1817 Coleridge Biog. Lit. (Bohn) 15 Walls of rock..shouldering back the billows. 1866 Alger Solit. Nat. & Man i. 19 From the equator to the poles the waves shoulder their fellows. 1867 Smyth Sailor's Word-bk. s.v., When a seaman..gives his ship too little cable to ride by, she may be thrown across tide, lift or shoulder her anchor, and drift off. |
3. Of troops: To push, force, drive back (an opposing force); to manœuvre or turn.
| 1581 Styward Martial Discipl. i. 21 This battaile [i.e. disposition of troops] is of great force to shoulder and beate downe the enimie. 1887 Athenæum 24 Sept. 398/3 Thus rendering it possible two days later to shoulder the French off the direct road to Berlin. |
4. a. absol. and intr. To push with the shoulder; to use the shoulders (in a struggle or contest). Const.
against,
at. Also
to shoulder it.
| a 1440 Found. St. Barth. Hosp. ii. Prol. (1886) 77 And menne presydde hydder thykly for variawnte causys, and shuldrid to gider. a 1568 R. Ascham Scholem. ii. (Arb.) 128 And soch runners, as commonlie, they shoue and sholder to stand formost. 1688 Bunyan Jerus. Sinner Saved (1886) 82 They shoulder and crowd, and say, Pray give way,..wherefore up and shoulder it, man; say: Stand away, devil. 1818 Scott Rob Roy v, All tramped, kicked, plunged, shouldered, and jostled. 1894 Blackmore Perlycross 403 Some working at his legs, and some shouldering at his loins. |
| fig. 1579 Tomson Calvin's Serm. Tim. 76/1 It is a sinne..for a mortall man to..shoulder against God, and fight against his glorie. 1603 Knolles Hist. Turks (1621) 409 Not contented with such possessions..hee began to shoulder for more roome. |
b. To make one's way by pushing with the shoulders; more fully
to shoulder one's way; also
refl. With various prepositions and
advs. Also
transf. and
fig.| 1581 J. Bell Haddon's Answ. Osor. 383 b, [He] lyke a false Prophet shouldreth forewardes. 1615 T. Adams Black Devil 27 Hee [Satan] shoulders to the barre, and pops in a forged evidence. 1720 Amherst Epist. 9 On me they never cast an Eye, But take their Snuff and shoulder by. c 1800 H. K. White Rem. (1837) 375 The design of shouldering himself into notice. 1835 W. Irving Tour Prairies xxix, As the ground was level, they [buffaloes] shouldered along with great speed. 1842 Tennyson Audley Court 8 Then we shoulder'd thro' the swarm. 1879 L. Stephen Hours in Libr. III. 323 The Englishman..goes on trampling upon acuter sensibilities, but somehow shouldering his way successfully through the troubles of the universe. 1893 Kipling Many Invent. 12 A couple of junks came shouldering through from the north. |
c. To ‘rub shoulders’, stand shoulder to shoulder
with. ?
Obs.| 1692 Dryden Don Sebast. iv. i, What, shall the people know their godlike prince Headed a rabble, and profaned his person, Shoulder'd with filth? |
† 5. Of a hare: To crouch in her form.
Obs.| c 1486 Bk. St. Albans f vij b, An haare in her forme shulderyng or leenyng. |
† 6. a. trans. To put (soldiers) shoulder to shoulder in close rank. Also
transf. Also with
up.
b. intr. To stand shoulder to shoulder.
Obs.| 1591 Spenser Ruins of Rome 213 Like as ye see the wrathfull Sea from farre, In a great mountaine heap't..Eftsoones of thousand billowes shouldred narre. 1598 Barret Theor. Warres iii. i. 40 The which [files] being shouldred vp close together. 1603 Knolles Hist. Turks (1621) 200 The Christians..shouldering close together in their charge, would be like a rock of yron. 1604 Drayton Moyses iii. 61 Which by the stroke of that commaunding wand, Shoulder the rough seas forcibly together. 1781 Cowper Table-t. 137 If guards, mechanically form'd in ranks,..Should'ring, and standing as if struck to stone. |
7. a. trans. To support with, bear up or carry on the shoulder or shoulders; to take or place on one's shoulder to be carried. Also
spec. of a racehorse, to carry (a specified weight) on the back.
| 1611 Cotgr., Espauler,..to shoulder; to support with, or beare on the shoulders. 1698 Fryer Acc. E. India & P. 180 They cut a whole Tree down, and..shoulder'd it with great Clamours. 1845 Coulter Adv. in Pacific viii. 93, I determined..to shoulder my gun, and walk right round the island. 1851 W. W. Collins Rambles beyond Railways vii. (1852) 122 We shouldered our knapsacks, and started for the Lizard. 1865 R. S. Hawker in All Year Round XIII. 154/2 The people..gathered up fragments of the wreck for fuel, and shouldered them away. 1883 Stevenson Treas. Isl. xxxii, Hearing no further sound, they shouldered the tools and set forth again. 1939 Country Life 11 Feb. 156/2 Last year, when shouldering 10st. 2lb., he fell at Becher's Brook on the second circuit. 1977 Western Morning News 30 Aug. 11/7 The six-year-old was returning to the course of his previous success this season, and for that win was shouldering a 7lb. penalty. |
b. fig. † To forward; to help or push on; to prop
up; to second (
obs.). Also to take upon oneself as a burden (expense, responsibility, etc.).
| 1582 Stanyhurst æneis ii. (Arb.) 49 Thee Greeks assuraunce in Pallas whoalye remayned And with her assistaunce theyre wars were shouldered always. 1586 J. Hooker Hist. Irel. 98/1 in Holinshed, She began to incline to hir wooer his request, to the end hir nephue should haue beene the better by his countenance shouldered. 1614 Raleigh Hist. World v. iii. §15 II. 511 The yong Nephew..regarded only..the much monie that his grand-father had laied out in vaine, to shoulder vp a falling house. 1685 Cotton Montaigne's Ess. I. i. xli. 501 The greatest of Scipio's acts were in part due to Lelius, whose constant practice it was to advance and shoulder [orig. F. seconder] Scipio's grandeur and renown. 1900 Westm. Gaz. 14 Nov. 2/2 The local Progressives are public-spirited enough to shoulder the expense. |
† c. transf. Of a thing: To prop up.
fig. Of the terms of an argument: To back up.
Obs.| 1674 N. Fairfax Bulk & Selv. 99 And though the ‘may be’ in the Argument came starveling alone without any thing of proof to back it, yet the ‘may not be’ in the Answer shall be thus shoulder'd up. 1675 Cotton Planters Man. 16 It is good also to shoulder or clod up the Tree for three foot about, and some four foot high. |
8. Mil. To place (a weapon, etc.) upon the shoulder. Also
absol. † Also in
pass. of a soldier: To have his musket shouldered.
to shoulder one's or a rifle etc., is often used for: to join the ranks, to enlist as a soldier.
| 1595 Sir J. Smythe Instr. Milit. 5 They are then to say to the first ranke: Shoulder your piques and march; which is as much to say: Lay your piques vpon your right shoulders and march. 1625 Markham Souldiers Accid. 24 Shoulder your Musquet, and carry your Rest in the right hand. 1635 W. Barriffe Milit. Discipline i. (1639) 4 Thus being armed, with Muskets shouldered, some account their Postures to begin from this place. Ibid. 5 Thus having charged some men will shoulder and so from thence make ready. 1672 Venn Milit. Observ. 37 The Musquetteer being shouldered Command..Unshoulder your Musquet, and Poyse. 1770 Goldsm. Des. Vill. 158 The broken soldier..shoulder'd his crutch. 1837 Carlyle Fr. Rev. II. i. xi, They have shouldered, soldier-wise, their shovels and picks. 1847 Infantry Man. (1854) 40 a, Wait for the word of command of the officer to shoulder. 1859 Jephson Brittany xiv. 234 Many a poor gentleman finds himself obliged to shoulder a musket. |
b. to shoulder arms (
esp. imp. as a word of command): to hold one's rifle in a nearly vertical position, the barrel resting against the shoulder and the butt in the hollow of the hand; also
fig. in
Cricket (see
quot. 1966); hence
at shoulder arms, at the position directed by this word of command.
| 1844 Queen's Regul. Army 260 Shoulder Arms. 1847 Infantry Man. (1854) 30 Serjeants..will remain steady at Shoulder Arms. 1853 G. J. Whyte-Melville Digby Grand vii, The brigade ‘shoulder arms’ preparatory to receiving..the time-honoured hero who is to inspect them. 1966 Armchair Cricket 1966 111 Shoulder arms, an expression used to describe a batsman's action when he holds the bat aloft over his shoulder as he allows the ball to go by on the off-side without attempting a stroke. 1975 Daily Mirror 16 Aug. 28/2 Ross Edwards immediately walked into the next ball, shouldered arms and was leg before. 1977 Sunday Times 30 Jan. 30/3 The next ball hit Gaekwad on the pad as he shouldered arms. |
† 9. a. To cut up the carcass of (a lamb, kid, etc.).
Cf. shoulder-knife (
shoulder n. 8 c).
Obs. rare.
| c 1486 Bk. St. Albans f vij b, [Termys..of breekyng or dressyng of dyverse beestis..] a Lambe shulderide, a Kidde shulderide. |
b. (See
quot. 1844 in
shouldering vbl. n. 1.)
† 10. pa. pple. Strained or dislocated at the shoulder.
Obs. [? after F.
épaulé.]
| 1565–6 Blundevil Horsemanship iv. iii. (1580) 2 b, As when a Horse is shouldered by meanes of some outward cause, or his backe galled with the saddle. |
11. a. To furnish (a thing) with a shoulder; to cut shoulders or a shoulder on; to fit
into with a shoulder. Also with
down,
up.
| 1438 [see shouldering vbl. n. 1]. 1733 Tull Horse-Hoeing Husb. xxiii. 355 The Tenon is also shoulder'd on each side. a 1734 North Life Dudley North (1744) 198 At Powis House..they shouldered and keyed the Portico Arches with Pieces of Stone. 1778 [W. H. Marshall] Minutes Agric. 9 May 1776, I shouldered the spikes,..leaving a small triangular shoulder at each angle of the square stump. 1879 Cassell's Techn. Educ. IV. 206/1 The spokes are then shouldered down slightly taper-wise. 1884 R. F. Burton Bk. Sword 142 The Sword should be tightly mounted and well shouldered-up before and behind. 1901 J. Black's Carp. & Builder, Scaffolding 35 The staves must now be fitted..by shouldering them at the marks made. |
b. Slating. (See
quot.)
| 1833 Loudon Encycl. Archit. §1122 The roofs to be covered with the best dark blue slate.., to be well shouldered in haired lime (the upper part of each row bedded in lime). |
12. intr. Of inanimate things: To form a shoulder, project as a shoulder, or spread out into a shoulder; also with
up.
| 1611 Cotgr. s.v. Espaulette, Ma{cced}onnerie à espaulettes,..walls..left..shouldering, bearing, or standing out in one place more then in another. 1677 Moxon Mech. Exerc. i. 5 Because the Chaps [of the Square Nos'd Hand-Vice] do not stand shouldering in the way. 1858 Hawthorne Fr. & It. Note-bks. (1871) I. 46 Farther off we could see blue hills, shouldering high above the intermediate ones. 1870 Daily News 12 Nov., The hill shoulders up very steeply for three-fourths its height. |
13. trans. (
Horticulture.) To tie out the ‘shoulders’ of (bunches of grapes).
| 1842 Loudon Suburban Hort. 461 Finished shouldering the Hamburgh, and thinning the Sweetwater and St. Peter's (neither of the two latter wants shouldering much). |
14. slang. (See
quots.)
| 1823 ‘Jon Bee’ Slang s.v. Shouldering, Among stage⁓coachmen, to shoulder, is to take up passengers on own account, without consulting the proprietors. 1865 Hotten's Slang Dict. (ed. 2), Shoulder, when a servant embezzles his master's money, he is said to shoulder his employer. |