shirty

[ shur-tee ]

adjective

, shirt·i·er, shirt·i·est.

1. bad-tempered; irritable; cranky.

shirty

/ ˈʃɜːtɪ /

adjective

1. slang.
   bad-tempered or annoyed

Derived Forms

• ˈshirtiness, noun
• ˈshirtily, adverb

Other Words From

• shirt·i·ness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of shirty¹

First recorded in 1840–50; shirt, in the phrase get someone's shirt out “to annoy” + -y ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of shirty¹

C19: perhaps based on such phrases as to get someone's shirt out to annoy someone

Example Sentences

I tracked him down and he got very shirty with me, very like, "Who are you? Why are you asking? How did you find me?"

From Salon

The shirty fan, who works for a publishing firm, reckons his collection is worth about £10,000 to £15,000 - though he rarely shells out top price.

From BBC

"We weren't prepared to put ourselves at risk or our clients at risk. They got a bit shirty with us."

From BBC

I remember the Wedding Present’s David Gedge, who we liked, getting a bit shirty with us, saying: “You’ve sold out.”

From The Guardian

He tells me he prefers to listen to jazz or classical music, but, asked why he favours those genres, responds with a shirty: “Cos that’s what I like.”

From The Guardian