n. Idioms: 1. A garment for the upper part of the body, typically having a collar, sleeves, and a front opening. 2. An undershirt. 3. A nightshirt. keep (one's) shirt on Slang To remain calm or patient: The plane doesn't land for another hour, so keep your shirt on. lose (one's) shirt Slang To lose everything one has or owns. the shirt off (one's) back Slang The maximum one is able to give or lose: The only thing those swindlers didn't take was the shirt off my back. [Middle English shirte, from Old English scyrte, short garment; see sker-1 in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.] |
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.