shake (redirected from in two shakes of a lamb's tail)

shake  (shk)

v. shook (shk), shak·en (shkn), shak·ing, shakes

v.tr.

1. To cause to move to and fro with jerky movements.

2. To cause to quiver, tremble, vibrate, or rock.

3. To cause to lose stability or waver: a crisis that shook my deepest beliefs.

4. To remove or dislodge by jerky movements: shook the dust from the cushions.

5.

a. To bring to a specified condition by or as if by shaking: "It is not easy to shake one's heart free of the impression" John Middleton Murry.

b. Slang To get rid of: couldn't shake the man who was following us.

6. To disturb or agitate; unnerve: She was shaken by the news of the disaster.

7. To brandish or wave, especially in anger: shake one's fist.

8. To clasp (hands) in greeting or leave-taking or as a sign of agreement.

9. Music To trill (a note).

10. Games To rattle and mix (dice) before casting.

v.intr.

1. To move to and fro in short, irregular, often jerky movements.

2. To tremble, as from cold or in anger.

3. To be unsteady; totter or waver.

4. To move something vigorously up and down or from side to side, as in mixing.

5. Music To trill.

6. To shake hands: Let's shake on it.

n.

1. The act of shaking.

2. A trembling or quivering movement.

3. Informal An earthquake.

4.

a. A fissure in rock.

b. A crack in timber caused by wind or frost.

5. Informal A moment or instant; a trice: I'll do it in a shake.

6. Music A trill.

7.

a. See milk shake.

b. A beverage in which the ingredients are mixed by shaking.

8. A rough shingle used to cover rustic buildings, such as barns: cedar shakes.

9. shakes Informal Uncontrollable trembling, as in a person who is cold, frightened, feverish, or ill. Often used with the: was suffering from a bad case of the shakes.

10. Slang A bargain or deal: getting a fair shake.

Phrasal Verbs:

shake down

1. Slang To extort money from.

2. Slang To make a thorough search of: shook down the prisoners' cells for hidden weapons.

3. To subject (a new ship or aircraft) to shakedown testing.

4. To become acclimated or accustomed, as to a new environment or a new job.

shake off

To free oneself of; get rid of: We shook off our fears.

shake up

1. To upset by or as if by a physical jolt or shock: was badly shaken up by the accident.

2. To subject to a drastic rearrangement or reorganization: new management bent on shaking up the company.

Idioms:

give (someone) the shake Slang

To escape from or get rid of: We managed to give our pursuers the shake.

no great shakes Slang

Unexceptional; ordinary: "stepping in between the victim and the bully, even when the victim happens to be no great shakes" Louis Auchincloss.

shake a leg Informal

1. To dance.

2. To move quickly; hurry up.

shake (another's) tree Slang

To arouse to action or reaction; disturb: "[He] so shook Hollywood's tree that . . . all manner of . . . people called me unsolicited to itemize his mistakes or praise his courage" Tina Brown.

shake a stick at Slang

To point out, designate, or name: "All of a sudden there came into being a vast conservative infrastructure: think-tanks . . . and more foundations than you could shake a stick at" National Review.

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[Middle English schaken, from Old English sceacan.]

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shaka·ble, shakea·ble adj.

Synonyms: shake, tremble, quake, quiver¹, shiver¹, shudder
These verbs mean to manifest involuntary vibratory movement. Shake is the most general: The floor shook when I walked heavily across the room.
Tremble implies quick, rather slight movement, as from excitement, weakness, or anger: The speaker trembled as he denounced his opponents.
Quake refers to more violent movement, as that caused by shock or upheaval: I was so scared that my legs began to quake.
Quiver suggests a slight, rapid, tremulous movement: "Her lip quivered like that of a child about to cry" Booth Tarkington.
Shiver involves rapid trembling, as of a person experiencing chill: "as I in hoary winter night stood shivering in the snow" Robert Southwell.
Shudder applies chiefly to convulsive shaking caused by fear, horror, or revulsion: "She starts like one that spies an adder/ . . . The fear whereof doth make him shake and shudder" Shakespeare. See Also Synonyms at agitate, dismay.

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shake

Verb

[shaking, shook, shaken]

1. to move up and down or back and forth with short quick movements

2. to be or make unsteady

3. (of a voice) to tremble because of anger or nervousness

4. to clasp or grasp (the hand) of (a person) in greeting or agreement: they shook hands

5. shake on it Informal to shake hands in agreement or reconciliation

6. to wave vigorously and angrily: he shook his fist

7. (often foll. by up)to frighten or unsettle

8. to shock, disturb, or upset: he was badly shaken but unharmed

9. to undermine or weaken: a team whose morale had been badly shaken

10. US & Canad informal to get rid of

11. Music to perform a trill on (a note)

12. shake one's head to indicate disagreement or disapproval by moving the head from side to side

Noun

1. the act or an instance of shaking

2. a tremor or vibration

3. the shakes Informal a state of uncontrollable trembling

4. Informal a very short period of time: in half a shake

5. Music same as trill (sense 1)

6. short for milk shake

See also shake down, shake off, shake up [Old English sceacan]

Thesaurus

Noun	1.	shake - building material used as siding or roofing shingle building material - material used for constructing buildings
	2.	shake - frothy drink of milk and flavoring and sometimes fruit or ice cream milk shake, milkshake drink - a single serving of a beverage; "I asked for a hot drink"; "likes a drink before dinner" eggshake - a milkshake with egg in it frappe - thick milkshake containing ice cream malt, malted, malted milk - a milkshake made with malt powder
	3.	shake - a note that alternates rapidly with another note a semitone above it trill musical note, note, tone - a notation representing the pitch and duration of a musical sound; "the singer held the note too long"
	4.	shake - grasping and shaking a person's hand (as to acknowledge an introduction or to agree on a contract) handclasp, handshake, handshaking contract - a binding agreement between two or more persons that is enforceable by law acknowledgement, acknowledgment - a statement acknowledging something or someone; "she must have seen him but she gave no sign of acknowledgment"; "the preface contained an acknowledgment of those who had helped her"
	5.	shake - a reflex motion caused by cold or fear or excitement shiver, tremble inborn reflex, innate reflex, instinctive reflex, physiological reaction, reflex, reflex action, reflex response, unconditioned reflex - an automatic instinctive unlearned reaction to a stimulus
	6.	shake - causing to move repeatedly from side to side waggle, wag agitation - the act of agitating something; causing it to move around (usually vigorously)
Verb	1.	shake - move or cause to move back and forth; "The chemist shook the flask vigorously"; "My hands were shaking" agitate fluff up, plump up, shake up - make fuller by shaking; "fluff up the pillows" move - move so as to change position, perform a nontranslational motion; "He moved his hand slightly to the right" fan - agitate the air tremble - move or jerk quickly and involuntarily up and down or sideways; "His hands were trembling when he signed the document" tremor, quake - shake with seismic vibrations; "The earth was quaking" palpitate - cause to throb or beat rapidly; "Her violent feelings palpitated the young woman's heart" convulse - shake uncontrollably; "earthquakes convulsed the countryside" sparge - agitate by introducing air or compressed gas; "sparge the water" succuss, shake up - shake; especially (a patient to detect fluids or air in the body) concuss - shake violently rattle - shake and cause to make a rattling noise jactitate, thrash about, thresh, thresh about, thrash, convulse, toss, slash - move or stir about violently; "The feverish patient thrashed around in his bed" jiggle, joggle, wiggle - move to and fro; "Don't jiggle your finger while the nurse is putting on the bandage!"
	2.	shake - move with or as if with a tremor; "his hands shook" didder move involuntarily, move reflexively - move in an uncontrolled manner
	3.	shake - shake or vibrate rapidly and intensively; "The old engine was juddering" judder Britain, Great Britain, U.K., UK, United Kingdom, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland - a monarchy in northwestern Europe occupying most of the British Isles; divided into England and Scotland and Wales and Northern Ireland; `Great Britain' is often used loosely to refer to the United Kingdom vibrate - shake, quiver, or throb; move back and forth rapidly, usually in an uncontrolled manner
	4.	shake - move back and forth or sideways; "the ship was rocking"; "the tall building swayed"; "She rocked back and forth on her feet" rock, sway roll - move, rock, or sway from side to side; "The ship rolled on the heavy seas" rock, sway - cause to move back and forth; "rock the cradle"; "rock the baby"; "the wind swayed the trees gently" nutate - rock, sway, or nod; usually involuntarily swag - sway heavily or unsteadily move back and forth - move in one direction and then into the opposite direction totter - move without being stable, as if threatening to fall; "The drunk man tottered over to our table"
	5.	shake - undermine or cause to waver; "my faith has been shaken"; "The bad news shook her hopes" weaken - lessen the strength of; "The fever weakened his body"
	6.	shake - stir the feelings, emotions, or peace of; "These stories shook the community"; "the civil war shook the country" stimulate, stir, shake up, excite arouse, elicit, evoke, provoke, enkindle, kindle, fire, raise - call forth (emotions, feelings, and responses); "arouse pity"; "raise a smile"; "evoke sympathy" fuel - stimulate; "fuel the debate on creationism" sex, wind up, excite, turn on, arouse - stimulate sexually; "This movie usually arouses the male audience" affright, fright, frighten, scare - cause fear in; "The stranger who hangs around the building frightens me"; "Ghosts could never affright her" thrill, tickle, vibrate - feel sudden intense sensation or emotion; "he was thrilled by the speed and the roar of the engine" invite, tempt - give rise to a desire by being attractive or inviting; "the window displays tempted the shoppers" elate, intoxicate, uplift, lift up, pick up - fill with high spirits; fill with optimism; "Music can uplift your spirits" animate, enliven, inspire, invigorate, exalt - heighten or intensify; "These paintings exalt the imagination" titillate - excite pleasurably or erotically; "A titillating story appeared in the usually conservative magazine"
	7.	shake - get rid of; "I couldn't shake the car that was following me" escape from, shake off, throw off escape, get away, break loose - run away from confinement; "The convicted murderer escaped from a high security prison"
	8.	shake - bring to a specified condition by or as if by shaking; "He was shaken from his dreams"; "shake the salt out of the salt shaker" alter, change, modify - cause to change; make different; cause a transformation; "The advent of the automobile may have altered the growth pattern of the city"; "The discussion has changed my thinking about the issue"
	9.	shake - shake (a body part) to communicate a greeting, feeling, or cognitive state; "shake one's head"; "She shook her finger at the naughty students"; "The old enemies shook hands"; "Don't shake your fist at me!" gesticulate, gesture, motion - show, express or direct through movement; "He gestured his desire to leave"

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shake

verb 1. jiggle, agitate, joggle

verb 2. tremble, shiver, quake, shudder, quiver

verb 3. rock, sway, shudder, wobble, waver, totter, oscillate

verb 4. wave, wield, flourish, brandish

verb 5. upset, shock, frighten, disturb, distress, move, rattle (informal) intimidate, unnerve, discompose, traumatize

verb 6. undermine, threaten, disable, weaken, impair, sap, debilitate, subvert, pull the rug out from under (informal)

noun 7. vibration, trembling, quaking, shock, jar, disturbance, jerk, shiver, shudder, jolt, tremor, agitation, convulsion, pulsation, jounce

shake someone off leave behind, lose, get rid of, get away from, elude, get rid of, throw off, get shot of (slang) rid yourself of, give the slip

shake someone up (Informal) upset, shock, frighten, disturb, distress, rattle (informal) unsettle, unnerve, discompose

shake something off get rid of, lose, recuperate from

shake something up restructure, reorganize, mix, overturn, churn (up), turn upside down

Translations

shake [ʃeɪk] [pt shook, pp shaken] [ˈʃeɪkn] vt → sacudir [+ building]; hacer temblar (= perturb); inquietar, perturbar (= weaken); debilitar (= alarm); trastornar

vi → estremecerse (= tremble); temblar

n (movement) → sacudida;

to shake one's head (in refusal) → negar con la cabeza;

(in dismay) → mover or menear la cabeza, incrédulo;

to shake hands with sb → estrechar la mano a algn;

to shake in one's shoes (fig) → temblar de miedo

shake off vt → sacudirse;

(fig) → deshacerse de

shake up vt → agitar

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shake [ʃeɪk] [shook , pt , shaken , pp ] [ʃuk, ˈʃeɪkn] vt → secouer [+ bottle, cocktail]; agiter [+ house, confidence]; ébranler

vi → trembler

n → secousse f;

to shake one's head (in refusal etc) → dire or faire non de la tête;

(in dismay) → secouer la tête;

to shake hands with sb → serrer la main à qn

shake off vt → secouer [+ pursuer]; se débarrasser de

shake up vt → secouer

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shake [ʃeɪk] [shook , pt , shaken , pp ] vt → schütteln;

(weaken, upset, surprise) → erschüttern;

(weaken) (resolve) → ins Wanken bringen

vi → zittern, beben;

(building, table) → wackeln;

(earth) → beben

n → Schütteln nt;

to shake one's head → den Kopf schütteln;

to shake hands with sb → jdm die Hand schütteln;

to shake one's fist (at sb) → (jdm) mit der Faust drohen;

give it a good shake → schütteln Sie es gut durch;

a shake of the head → ein Kopfschütteln

shake off shake vt (lit, fig) → abschütteln

shake up shake vt → schütteln (fig) (upset) → erschüttern

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shake [ʃeɪk] vb [pt shook, pp shaken] [ʃuk, ˈʃeɪkn]

vt → scuotere [+ bottle, cocktail]; agitare

vi → tremare

n → scossa;

to shake one's head → scuotere la testa;

to shake hands with sb → stringere or dare la mano a qn

shake off vt → scrollare (via);

(fig) → sbarazzarsi di

shake up vt → scuotere