See Also: sharp(1)(dictionary)
sharp(dictionary)
Sharp(finance)
sharp(medicine)
sharp(2)(dictionary)
sharp-tongued(dictionary)
Sharp, Becky(dictionary)
razor-sharp(dictionary)
sharp 1, adjective(dictionary)
sharp 2, adverb(dictionary)

sharp(1) (iou)



sharp adjective & adverb.

A. adjective.
Able to cut or pierce easily, having a keen edge or point. Opp. blunt. OE.
C. Boutell A straight flat wide blade, that is pointed and very sharp at either edge. R. West Sharp thorns on those roses.
b. Prickly. OE-E17.
c. Of sand, gravel, etc.: composed of grains having sharp points; hard, angular, gritty. E17.
Rough, rugged. OE-L16.
Acute or penetrating in intellect or perception; quick-witted, clever. Of a remark etc.: pointed, apt, witty. OE.
F. Dhondy She was sharp, you couldn't lie to her.
b. (Of the eyes or ears) acute, keen; (of observation or an observer) vigilant, alert. OE.
L. M. Montgomery Mrs. Rachel was keeping a sharp eye on everything that passed. B. Trapido Jonathan, who had sharp ears, heard his name immediately.
c. Practical, businesslike. Freq. derog., quick to take advantage of others; artful, unscrupulous, dishonest. L17.
a. Eager for battle. OE-L15.
b. Of conflict or (formerly) feelings: intense, fierce, ardent. LME.
c. (Of a storm, shower, etc.) heavy, violent; (of weather) cuttingly cold, biting; (of frost) severe, hard. LME.
J. Trollope A little sharp frosty bite to the air.
d. Quick, active, energetic; vigorous, lively, brisk; (of a stream) (now rare) rapid. LME.
E. Dunphy We are not playing well...We are not sharp. G. Gordon The girl..gave him a sharp, almost karate, chop across his shoulder blades.
e. Hungry, eager for food. (Orig. in Falconry.) L15.
f. (Of public transport) ahead of schedule, early; (of a timetable etc.) tight, demanding. colloq. M20.
a. Of words, temper, a person, etc.: harsh, cutting, peremptory; indicating anger or rebuke, irascible; acrimonious. OE.
R. Lindner Ma..nagging, critical, sharp in her words and tone. R. Davies He was sharp about mistakes and demanded more and more.
b. (Of a pain, feeling, etc.) acute, intense; (of an experience) intensely painful. OE.
Oxford English Dictionary A sharp pain, followed by a dull ache.
c. Of a punishment, judge, etc.: severe, merciless. ME.
L. R. Banks Giving young offenders a short sharp shock.
d. Of a way of life: austere. ME-E17.
Acid, sour, or bitterly pungent in taste or smell; tart. OE.
I. McEwan The sharp smell of strong coffee and cigar smoke.
b. Of water: hard; hot, scalding. rare. M17-M18.
Tapering to a (relatively) fine point or edge, pointed, peaked. ME.
B. P. Poore Long, flat-bottomed boats, sharp at both ends, called 'gondolas'.
b. Of an angle: acute. Of a turn, rise, fall, etc.: involving sudden change of direction; abrupt, steep, angular. M16.
D. H. Lawrence Land..bounded on the east by the sharp dip of the brook course. Times Macarthys Pharmaceuticals..turned in a sharp jump in profits.
c. Nautical. Of a vessel: having a narrow and wedge-shaped bottom. E18.
d. Of the face or features: emaciated, peaked, thin. M19.
Of sound: penetrating, shrill, high-pitched; Phonetics (rare) designating a high-front vowel or an unvoiced consonant. LME
E. Bowen It was twelve noon: sharp and deep Sunday chimes broke from two belfries.
Music. Relatively high in pitch; esp. (of a note, singer, or instrument) above the desired or true pitch; (of a key) having a sharp or sharps in the signature. L16.
A sharp, C sharp, D sharp, etc., (a note) a semitone higher than A, C, D, etc.; a key, string, fret, etc., producing such a note in a musical instrument.
Distinct in outline or detail; well-defined, clear-cut, with strongly marked contrast; (of a lens) producing a sharp image. L17.
Observer No sharp dividing line between sanity and insanity. J. Kosinski The picture was so sharp..I could almost count the straws in the thatched roofs.
b. Science. Of a phenomenon, condition, or state, esp. resonance: having or occurring over a narrow range of values of energy; capable of graphical representation by a curve showing a sharp peak; clearly defined. E20.
a. Excellent, fine; well-equipped, impressive. slang (orig. US). M20.
W. Ash When Jacques turned up, he was looking pretty sharp..in the sort of dark suit which..looks expensive.
b. Of clothes or their wearer: stylish, neatly fashionable, smart. colloq. M20.
Phrases: better than a poke in the eye with a sharp stick: see POKE noun4 1. sharp as a needle very sharp; fig. extremely quick-witted. the sharp edge of one's tongue: see EDGE noun.
b. adverb.
In a sharp manner, sharply; Music above the true pitch; colloq. smartly, stylishly. OE.
look sharp: see LOOK verb.
M. Arnold Loud howls the wind, sharp patters the rain. D. Shannon He was dressed real sharp, a gray suit, not just sports clothes.
b. Abruptly, suddenly; at a sharp angle. M19.
J. Carlyle The horse..turns sharp round.
c. Punctually, precisely at the time specified. Usu. postpositive. M19.
M. Meyer To meet at eight sharp, since Bergman was insistent on punctuality.
Nautical. As near fore and aft as possible, trimmed as near as possible to the wind. M17.
Special collocations & comb.: sharpbill a stocky bird, Oxyruncus cristatus (sole member of the family Oxyruncidae), having a sharp conical bill and speckled plumage with an olive back and red crest, and found in humid forest canopy in Central and S. America. sharp cedar an evergreen tree with sharp needles, Juniperus oxycedrus, which yields oil of cade. sharp end colloq. (a) the bows of a ship; (b) the centre of activity or decision-making, the front line. sharp-eyed adjective having good sight; observant. sharp eyespot a fungal disease of cereals similar to eyespot but characterized by more clearly defined markings. sharp practice hard bargaining; dishonest or barely honest dealings. sharp rush a sand-dune rush, Juncus acutus, with rigid sharply pointed leaves. sharp-set adjective very hungry; transf. very keen on or eager for. sharpshin (a) US History each of the pieces of a small coin cut into pieces to provide smaller change (later as a type of little value); (b) the sharp-shinned hawk. sharp-shinned adjective having slender legs or shanks; sharp-shinned hawk, a common hawk, Accipiter striatus, of N. American woodland. sharp-shod adjective (chiefly N. Amer.) (of a horse) having caulked shoes, rough-shod. sharp-sighted adjective having keen sight; fig. perceptive, intelligent. sharp-tail N. Amer. the sharp-tailed grouse. sharp-tailed adjective having a tapering tail or pointed tail feathers; sharp-tailed grouse, a grouse of N. American prairies, Tympanuchus phasianellus. sharp-tongued adjective harsh or cutting in speech, abrasive. sharp-witted adjective perceptive, intelligent.