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sex, but now restricted in use to females; a brawler; a scold. A man . . . grudgeth that shrews [i. e., bad men] have prosperity, or else that good men have adversity. Chaucer. A man had got a shrew to his wife, and there could be no quiet in the house for her. L'Estrange.

Inclining to shrew; disposing to curse or scold; hence, vicious; malicious; evil; wicked; mischievous; vexatious; rough; unfair; shrewish. [Obs.] 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…

having the qualities of a shrew; having a scolding disposition; froward; peevish. My wife is shrewish when I keep not hours. Shak. -- Shrew"ish*ly, adv. -- Shrew"ish*ness, n.

A shrew; especially, the erd shrew.

To curse; to execrate. Beshrew me, but I love her heartily. Shak.

Any one of several species of shrews having fringed feet and capable of swimming actively. The two common European species (Crossopus fodiens, and C. ciliatus) are the best known. The most common American water shrew, or marsh shrew (Neosorex palustris), is rarely seen, owing to its nocturnal habits.…

Having nice discernment; perceiving or using minute distinctions; penetrating; clever; shrewd; -- opposed to Ant: dull or Ant: stupid; as, an acute observer; acute remarks, or reasoning.

An old gentleman. [Obs.] You are a shrewd antiquity, neighbor Clench. B. Jonson.

Sagacious; acute; subtle; shrewd. The active preacher . . . the argue schoolman. Milman.

In a subtle; shrewdly.

Critically discerning; sagacious; shrewd; subtle; crafty.

To mock or delude; to cheat. To play her pranks, and bob the fool, The shrewish wife began. Turbervile.

A person; a human being; -- frequently in composition; as, anybody, nobody. A dry, shrewd kind of a body. W. Irving.

Characterized by cunning or shrewdness; crafty. [R.]

Acuteness of discernment; cunningness; shrewdness. [R.] Her eagly-eyed callidity. C. Smart.

Artful; cunning; shrewd; wary.

ans of success in an undertaking. -- To play one's cards well, to make no errors; to act shrewdly. -- To play snow one's cards, to expose one's plants to rivals or foes. -- To speak by the card, to speak from information and definitely, not by guess as in telling a ship's bearing by the compass card. -- Visiting ca…

To talk idly, carelessly, or with undue rapidity; to jabber; to prate. To tame a shrew, and charm her chattering tongue. Shak.

rtment; mode of action; behavior. All these difficulties were increased by the conduct of Shrewsbury. Macaulay. What in the conduct of our life appears So well designed, so luckily begun, But when we have our wish, we wish undone Dryden.

One who conjectures shrewdly or judges wisely; a man of sagacity. [Obs.] Addison.