short-sheet

[ shawrt-sheet ]

verb (used with object)

1. to fold and tuck in the top sheet of (a bed) so that it simulates both the top and bottom sheets: when the victim of this prank enters the bed, their legs are obstructed by the fold:

   We're going to short-sheet Johnny's bed to pay him back for tattling.

2. to prank (someone) by folding and tucking in the top sheet of their bed so that it simulates both the top and bottom sheets: when the victim of this prank enters the bed, their legs are obstructed by the fold:

   As if it wasn't a bad enough day already, I got short-sheeted tonight.

Word History and Origins

Origin of short-sheet¹

First recorded in 1940–45 in the sense “trick, pull a prank”

Example Sentences

We passed under one of the watch- towers along the river, and someone noticed a familiar face—a recruit from the class ahead of ours, the guy who had taught us to short-sheet our beds.

From Literature

Housed above us, on the third floor, were members of the class in front of ours, and sometime around midnight one of those more seasoned recruits ventured by and offered a tip: “Short-sheet your beds. That way, you don’t have to make them again every morning,” he explained.

From Literature

“But the efforts to short-sheet us with a bill failed,” he added.

From New York Times

Somehow the other kids did not want to short-sheet his bed for this.

From Time Magazine Archive