Shoulders

shoul·der  (shldr)

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.

c. The part of a bird's wing between the wrist and the trunk.

3. The area of the back from one shoulder to the other. Often used in the plural.

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 the shoulders.

2. To take on; assume: shouldered the blame for his friends.

3. To push or apply force to, with or as if with the shoulder.

4. To make (one's way) by or as if by shoving obstacles with one's shoulders.

v.intr.

1. To push with the shoulders.

2. To make one's way by or as if by shoving obstacles with one's shoulders.

Idioms:

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.]

---

Shoulders 

See Also: BODY

1. Bony shoulders … like wings —Richard Ford
2. Protruding shoulder blades that pushed out the back of his shirt like hidden wings —Harvey Swados
3. Shoulder blades … almost as soft and small as a bird’s wings —Penelope Gilliatt
4. Shoulder blades jutted like a twin hump —Harvey Swados
5. [Protruding] shoulder blades … like wedges —Jay Parini
6. Shoulders like a buffalo —Willa Cather
7. Shoulders like a five-barred gate —Donald Seaman
8. Shoulders like a pair of walking beams —H. C. Witwer
9. Shoulders like a wall —Paul J. Wellman
10. Shoulders like the ram of a battleship —P. G. Wodehouse
11. Shoulders like the Parthenon —H. L. Mencken
12. Shoulders protruding like a Swiss chalet —Rufus Shapley
13. Shoulders rounded like a question mark —T. Coraghessan Boyle
14. Sunburned shoulders like the knobs of well-polished furniture —Nadine Gordimer