shifty

Etymology

shift +‎ -y

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈʃɪfti/

Adjective

shifty (comparative shiftier, superlative shiftiest)

1. Subject to frequent changes in direction.
   • 1971, Henry Handel Richardson, Ultima Thule (page 121)

     Off he raced, shuffling his bare feet through the hot, dry, shifty sand. But it was no good: she didn't care.

2. Having the appearance of being dishonest, criminal or unreliable.

   He was a shifty character in a seedy bar, and I checked my wallet was still there after talking to him.

3. Full of, or ready with, shifts or expedients.

   (Can we find and add a quotation of Wright to this entry?)

   • Charles Kingsley

     Shifty and thrifty as old Greek or modern Scot, there were few things he could not invent, and perhaps nothing he could not endure.