Make Your Point > Archived Issues > SHORT SHRIFT

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connect today's word to others: The term short shrift (which means "a hasty process of confession," or more generally "a too-hasty consideration") first appeared in Shakespeare's Richard III: "Make a short shrift, he longs to see your head." See if you can complete these other quotes from Richard III with words we've studied: 1. "Peace, Master Marquess, you are mal----t [overly bold in a cheeky, rude way]. Your fire-new stamp of honor is scarce current." 2. "Why, madam, have I offered love for this, To be so fl---ed [mocked and disrespected] in this royal presence?" 3. "Then, you conclude, my grandam, he is dead. The king mine uncle is to blame for it. God will revenge it, whom I will im----une [bother with urgent requests] With earnest prayers, all to that effect." (To reveal any word with blanks, give it a click.) make your point with... "SHORT SHRIFT" The verb "shrive," and its noun form, "shrift," are old, religious words. To shrive yourself is to confess your sins, and when a priest or other religious figure shrives someone (or gives them shrift), he's listening to them confess their sins and then granting them forgiveness. Shrift, then, is the action or process of confessing your sins and being forgiven. Since at least as far back as Shakespeare's time, we've talked about prisoners who get "short shrift" before they're put to death, meaning that a priest does give them shrift but does it in a hurry. So, these days, to give short shrift to something means to give it not enough thought or not enough attention. Pronunciation: short SHRIFT Part of speech: Uncountable noun. (Like "milk," "rice," and "advice," uncountable nouns are words for stuff that can’t be broken into exact units. You talk about "some milk," "the rice," and "a lot of advice," but you don’t say "a milk," "three rices," or "many advices." Likewise, talk about "short shrift," "the short shrift," "this short shrift," "such short shrift," "no short shrift," and so on, but don’t say "a short shrift," "one short shrift," or "short shrifts.") Other forms: none How to use it: In general it's a bad thing to give something or someone short shrift: it means you've been hasty, that you've failed to give enough time, thought, effort, attention, or consideration to something. Talk about people who give things (or other people) short shrift: a candidate who gave short shrift to an important group of voters; a novelist or screenwriter who gives short shrift to his female characters, leaving them underdeveloped; a researcher who, in writing her literature review, has given short shrift to a group of studies contradicting her own. Although we usually talk about giving things and people short shrift, we can also talk about people and things getting, receiving, or being met with short shrift. And occasionally we'll say that people make short shrift of something: "the judge made short shrift of their case," "this reckless restaurant owner made short shrift of food safety." examples: Too often, in classrooms, writing skills get short shrift. I sometimes spend an inordinate amount of time preparing a single issue of Make Your Point, not wanting to give short shrift to a word I love. study it now: Look away from the screen to explain the definition in your own words. You’ll know you understand what "short shrift" means when you can explain it without saying "the short end of the stick" or "tender mercies." try it out: Fill in the blanks: "(A particular need, group of people, topic, issue, theme, or character) got short shrift in (a particular budget, essay, article, book, story, show, movie, or conversation)." Example: "The Shepherd's backstory got short shrift in Firefly, which ended after only one season." before you review: Spend at least 20 seconds occupying your mind with the game below. Then try the review questions. Don’t go straight to the review now—let your working memory empty out first. Subject Line Redux! You know how I fill the subject line of each Make Your Point email with a little comment about the word? Let's revisit some of those subject lines; they make a good study tool. That is, you'll improve your chances of recalling our words when you need them later if you do this now: look at the little comment from the subject line and use that to recall the word, its meaning, and how it connects to the little comment. (For more on active recall and how you can employ it to strengthen your vocabulary, please go here.) In each issue this month, I'll share a puzzle or other activity that prompts you to recall 5 previous words based on their subject lines. (To make your own activities like these, check out the fun and useful Vocabulary Worksheet Factory.) And I'll share the answers in the following issue. From our previous issue:  Answers: Try this today: review today's word: 1. The opposite of SHORT SHRIFT is A. PAYMENT. B. IMMEDIATE RESPONSE. C. CAREFUL CONSIDERATION. 2. I knew that if I gave short shrift to my lesson plans, I'd _____. A. keep us focused on the most important skills and concepts B. bore my students and displease their parents C. have plenty of extra material, just in case Answers are below. a final word: Make Your Point is crafted with love and brought to you each weekday morning by Liesl Johnson, a reading and writing tutor on a mission to explore, illuminate, and celebrate words. From Liesl's blog:    36 ways to study words.    Why we forget words, & how to remember them.    How to use sophisticated words without being awkward. To be a sponsor and include your ad in an issue, please contact me at Liesl@HiloTutor.com. Disclaimer: When I write definitions, I use plain language and stick to the words' common, useful applications. If you're interested in authoritative and multiple definitions of words, I encourage you to check a dictionary. Also, because I'm American, I stick to American English when I share words' meanings, usage, and pronunciations; these elements sometimes vary across world Englishes. Answers to review questions: 1. C 2. B