Shoulders
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Related to Shoulders: rub shoulders
shoul·der
(shōl′dər)n.
1.
a. The joint connecting the arm with the torso.
b. The part of the human body between the neck and upper arm.
2.
a. The joint of a vertebrate animal that connects the forelimb to the trunk.
b. The part of an animal near this joint.
3. often shoulders The area of the back from one shoulder to the other.
4. A cut of meat including the joint of the foreleg and adjacent parts.
5. The portion of a garment that covers the shoulder.
6. An angled or sloping part, as:
a. The angle between the face and flank of a bastion in a fortification.
b. The area between the body and neck of a bottle or vase.
7. The area of an item or object that serves as an abutment or surrounds a projection, as:
a. The end surface of a board from which a tenon projects.
b. Printing The flat surface on the body of type that extends beyond the letter or character.
8. The edge or border running on either side of a roadway.
v. shoul·dered, shoul·der·ing, shoul·ders
v.tr.
1. To carry or place (a burden, for example) on a shoulder or on the shoulders.
2. To take on; assume: shouldered the blame for his friends.
3. To push or apply force to with a shoulder: shouldered the dresser against the wall.
4. To make (one's way) by shoving one's shoulders.
v.intr.
Idioms: 1. To push with a shoulder.
2. To make one's way by shoving one's shoulders.
put (one's) shoulder to the wheel
To apply oneself vigorously; make a concentrated effort.
shoulder to shoulder
1. In close proximity; side by side.
2. In close cooperation.
straight from the shoulder
1. Delivered directly from the shoulder. Used of a punch.
2. Honestly; candidly.
[Middle English shulder, from Old English sculdor.]
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Shoulders
See Also: BODY
- Bony shoulders … like wings —Richard Ford
- Protruding shoulder blades that pushed out the back of his shirt like hidden wings —Harvey Swados
- Shoulder blades … almost as soft and small as a bird’s wings —Penelope Gilliatt
- Shoulder blades jutted like a twin hump —Harvey Swados
- [Protruding] shoulder blades … like wedges —Jay Parini
- Shoulders like a buffalo —Willa Cather
- Shoulders like a five-barred gate —Donald Seaman
- Shoulders like a pair of walking beams —H. C. Witwer
- Shoulders like a wall —Paul J. Wellman
- Shoulders like the ram of a battleship —P. G. Wodehouse
- Shoulders like the Parthenon —H. L. Mencken
- Shoulders protruding like a Swiss chalet —Rufus Shapley
- Shoulders rounded like a question mark —T. Coraghessan Boyle
- Sunburned shoulders like the knobs of well-polished furniture —Nadine Gordimer
Similes Dictionary, 1st Edition. © 1988 The Gale Group, Inc. All rights reserved.