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Abounding in shelves; full of dangerous shallows. "A shelfy coast." Dryden.

To cover with, or as with, a shield; to cover from danger; to defend; to protect from assault or injury. Shouts of applause ran ringing through the field, To see the son the vanquished father shield. Dryden. A woman's shape doth shield thee. Shak.

Chaucer. [Egypt] hath many shrewd havens, because of the great rocks that ben strong and dangerous to pass by. Sir J. Mandeville. Every of this happy number That have endured shrewd days and nights with us. Shak.

To withdraw or retire, as from danger; to decline action from fear; to recoil, as in fear, horror, or distress. What happier natures shrink at with affright, The hard inhabitant contends is right. Pope. They assisted us against the Thebans when you shrank from the task. Jowett (Thucyd.)

One who shrinks; one who withdraws from danger.

A banker, or changer of money. [East Indies]

(a) To close; to make fast the entrances into; as, to shut up a house. (b) To obstruct. "Dangerous rocks shut up the passage." Sir W. Raleigh. (c) To inclose; to confine; to imprison; to fasten in; as, to shut up a prisoner. Before faith came, we were kept under the law, shut up unto the faith which should afterwards b…

To besiege; to beset. [R.] Through all the dangers that can siege The life of man. Buron.

A sign made for the purpose of giving notice to a person of some occurence, command, or danger; also, a sign, event, or watchword, which has been agreed upon as the occasion of concerted action. All obeyed The wonted signal and superior voice Of this great potentate. Milton.

for long tortures . . . might, if properly treated, serve to sinew the state in time of danger. Goldsmith.

Indicative of lurking evil or harm; boding covert danger; as, a sinister countenance. Bar sinister. (Her.) See under Bar, n. -- Sinister aspect (Astrol.), an appearance of two planets happening according to the succession of the signs, as Saturn in Aries, and Mars in the same degree of Gemini. -- Sinister base, Sinis…

An enticing, dangerous woman. Shak.

A term of address implying inferiority and used in anger, contempt, reproach, or disrespectful familiarity, addressed to a man or boy, but sometimes to a woman. In sililoquies often preceded by ah. Not used in the plural. "Ah, sirrah mistress." Beau & Fl. Go, sirrah, to my cell. Shak.

e sting of evil. No creature smarts so little as a fool. Pope. He that is surety for a stranger shall smart for it. Prov. xi. 15.

Hence, to burn; to be kindled; to rage. The anger of the Lord and his jealousy shall smoke agains. that man. Deut. xxix. 20.

h a snare; to insnare; to entangle; hence, to bring into unexpected evil, perplexity, or danger. Lest that too heavenly form . . . snare them. Milton. The mournful crocodile With sorrow snares relenting passengers. Shak.

To perceive as by sniffing; to snuff, to scent; to smell; as, to sniff danger.

be had; all was tempestuous and blustering. Druden. No sober man would put himself into danger for the applause of escaping without breaking his neck. Dryden.

To dwell for a time; to dwell or live in a place as a temporary resident or as a stranger, not considering the place as a permanent habitation; to delay; to tarry. Abram went down into Egypt to sojourn there. Gen. xii. 30. Home he goeth, he might not longer sojourn. Chaucer. The soldiers first assembled at Newcastle, a…

One who sojourns. We are strangers before thee, and sojourners. 1. Chron. xxix. 15.