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The word ‘short’ as an adjective can mean not very tall or a small length of time. For example:
- My son is very short for his age. (not very tall)
- The film was short, it only lasted 80 minutes. (small length of time)
Let’s take a look at some common idioms containing the word ‘short’.
come up short
meaning – insufficient, lacking what you need, unsuccessful
example – I keep coming up short on auditions, maybe I should quit singing.
feel short changed
meaning – feel cheated by the product or service you were given
example – I paid $500 to see Justin Bieber. He only sang for 5 minutes, I felt short changed.
sandwich short of a picnic
meaning – a stupid/mad/not very intelligent person
example – I caught my neighbour hoovering her lawn. She’s definitely a sandwich short of a picnic.
short on cash
meaning – not have enough money
example – I can’t go out tomorrow night, I’m a little short on cash until pay day.
