lack: Despite his lack of experience, he got the job.
shortfalclass="underline" The government has refused to make up a £30,000 shortfall in funding.
scarcity: …an ever-increasing scarcity of water.
want: …a want of manners and charm.
sho rt back and si des also short-back-and-sides N‑SING If a man has a short back and sides , his hair is cut very short at the back and sides with slightly thicker, longer hair on the top of the head. [BRIT ]
short|bread /ʃɔː r tbred/ (shortbreads ) N‑VAR Shortbread is a kind of biscuit made from flour, sugar, and butter.
short|cake /ʃɔː r tke I k/
1 N‑UNCOUNT Shortcake is the same as shortbread . [BRIT ]
2 N‑UNCOUNT Shortcake is a cake or dessert which consists of a crisp cake with layers of fruit and cream. [mainly AM ] □ …desserts like strawberry shortcake.
sho rt-cha nge (short-changes , short-changing , short-changed )
1 VERB If someone short-changes you, they do not give you enough change after you have bought something from them. □ [V n] The cashier made a mistake and short-changed him.
2 VERB [usu passive] If you are short-changed , you are treated unfairly or dishonestly, often because you are given less of something than you deserve. □ [be V -ed] Women are in fact still being short-changed in the press.
sho rt-ci rcuit (short-circuits , short-circuiting , short-circuited )
1 VERB If an electrical device short-circuits or if someone or something short-circuits it, a wrong connection or damaged wire causes electricity to travel along the wrong route and damage the device. □ [V ] Carbon dust and oil build up in large motors and cause them to short-circuit. □ [V n] Once inside they short-circuited the electronic security. ● N‑COUNT Short-circuit is also a noun. □ The fire was started by an electrical short-circuit.
2 VERB If someone or something short-circuits a process or system, they avoid long or difficult parts of it and use a quicker, more direct method to achieve their aim. □ [V n] The approach was intended to short-circuit normal complaints procedures.
short|coming /ʃɔː r tkʌm I ŋ/ (shortcomings ) N‑COUNT [usu pl, oft with poss] Someone's or something's shortcomings are the faults or weaknesses which they have. □ [+ of ] Marriages usually break down as a result of the shortcomings of both partners.
short|crust /ʃɔː r tkrʌst/ ADJ [ADJ n] Shortcrust pastry is a kind of pastry that is used to make pies and tarts. [BRIT ]
sho rt cu t (short cuts ) also short-cut , shortcut
1 N‑COUNT A short cut is a quicker way of getting somewhere than the usual route. □ I tried to take a short cut and got lost.
2 N‑COUNT A short cut is a method of achieving something more quickly or more easily than if you use the usual methods. □ [+ to ] Fame can be a shortcut to love and money.
3 N‑COUNT On a computer, a shortcut is an icon on the desktop that allows you to go immediately to a program, document and so on. [COMPUTING ] □ …ways to move or copy icons or create shortcuts in Windows.
4 N‑COUNT On a computer, a shortcut is a keystroke or a combination of keystrokes that allows you to give commands without using the mouse. [COMPUTING ] □ …a handy keyboard shortcut that takes you to the top of the screen.
short|en /ʃɔː r t ə n/ (shortens , shortening , shortened )
1 VERB If you shorten an event or the length of time that something lasts, or if it shortens , it does not last as long as it would otherwise do or as it used to do. □ [V n] Smoking can shorten your life. □ [V ] When the days shorten in winter some people suffer depression.
2 VERB If you shorten an object or if it shortens , it becomes smaller in length. □ [V n] Her father paid £1,000 for an operation to shorten her nose. □ [V ] As they shorten, cells become more prone to disease and death.
3 VERB If you shorten a name or other word, you change it by removing some of the letters. □ [V n] Originally called Lili, she eventually shortened her name to Lee.
4 to shorten the odds → see odds
short|en|ing /ʃɔː r tn I ŋ/ (shortenings ) N‑VAR Shortening is cooking fat that you use with flour in order to make pastry or dough. [mainly AM ]
short|fall /ʃɔː r tfɔːl/ (shortfalls ) N‑COUNT If there is a shortfall in something, there is less of it than you need. □ [+ in ] The government has refused to make up a £30,000 shortfall in funding.
short|hand /ʃɔː r thænd/
1 N‑UNCOUNT Shorthand is a quick way of writing and uses signs to represent words or syllables. Shorthand is used by secretaries and journalists to write down what someone is saying. □ Ben took notes in shorthand.
2 N‑UNCOUNT [oft a N ] You can use shorthand to mean a quick or simple way of referring to something. □ We've been friends so long we have a kind of shorthand. We don't really need to speak.
sho rt-ha nded also shorthanded ADJ [usu v-link ADJ ] If a company, organization, or group is short-handed , it does not have enough people to work on a particular job or for a particular purpose. □ We're actually a bit short-handed at the moment.
sho rt|hand ty p|ist (shorthand typists ) N‑COUNT A shorthand typist is a person who types and writes shorthand, usually in an office. [BRIT ] in AM, use stenographer