See Also: shoulder pad(dictionary)
shoulder(medicine)
shoulder bag(dictionary)
Shoulder(health)
shoulder(1)(dictionary)
shoulder(2)(dictionary)
cold shoulder(dictionary)
Milwaukee shoulder(health)
Frozen shoulder(health)
Bursitis, shoulder(health)

shoulder(1) (iou)



shoulder noun.

a. In the human body, the upper joint of either arm with its integuments and the portion of the trunk between this and the base of the neck; esp. the curved upper surface of this; in pl., the upper part of the back and arms. In quadrupeds, the upper part of the forelimb and the adjacent part of the back. Also, the shoulder-joint, the pectoral girdle. OE.
F. King Kirsti called out over her shoulder. S. Rosenberg Asta..threw an arm around my shoulders, and guided me to a seat. Men's Health That supposed male idealthe V-shaped torso, broad shoulders and slim waist.
b. The upper part of the wing of a bird or insect, adjoining the point of articulation; the humerus of the wing-case or thorax. M18.
c. sing. & in pl. The front part of the body of a fish, adjoining the head. E19.
A person's shoulder regarded as having the function of carrying heavy weights, providing strength, or bearing hardship. Freq. in pl. OE.
Thackeray All the debts are put upon my shoulders. Tennyson Make broad thy shoulders to receive my weight. J. O. Hobbes Few men..can bear authority if they haven't been born with the shoulders for it.
The foreleg area of a sheep, pig, etc., cut as a joint of meat for food. ME.
a. That part of a garment which covers a person's shoulder. ME.
b. An arched piece of wood or other rigid material placed under the shoulders of a garment that is to be hung up. L19.
(A part of) something resembling a human shoulder in shape, position, or function; a sudden inward curvature in the outline of something; spec. (a) a point at which a steep slope descends from a plateau or highland area; (b) a projection which serves as a support for a structure; (c) the flat surface of printing type from which the raised character projects; (d) (in pl.) the broadest part of a bunch of grapes; (e) in surfing, the unbroken part of a wave at the side; (f) a poorly resolved subsidiary maximum in a graph otherwise having a fairly uniform or smoothly varying slope. LME.
L. G. Gibbon She could see across the brae's shoulder the red light of Kinraddie House. D. A. Thomas Cape Ortegal, the north-west shoulder of Spain.
With specifying word: any of several noctuid moths which have a distinctively coloured streak at the base of the leading edge of the forewing. Also more fully shoulder moth. L19.
flame shoulder, tawny shoulder.
The edge of a road; spec. = hard shoulder s.v. HARD adjective, adverb, & noun. M20.
D. Leavitt Her hands shook and the car veered onto the shoulder.
Phrases: an old head on young shoulders a young person as staid or experienced as an elderly one (freq. in have an old head on young shoulders, put an old head on young shoulders). a shoulder to cry on a sympathetic and consoling listener to a person's troubles. cold shoulder: see COLD adjective. cry on a person's shoulder pour out one's troubles to a person. from the shoulder = straight from the shoulder below. have a chip on one's shoulder: see CHIP noun. HEAD AND SHOULDERS. natural shoulder: see NATURAL adjective. open the shoulders give free play to the muscles of the shoulders in making a stroke. over the left shoulder: see LEFT adjective. put one's shoulder to the wheel set to work or to a task vigorously. rub shoulders: see RUB verb. set one's shoulder to the wheel = put one's shoulder to the wheel above. shoulder to shoulder side by side, (of soldiers) in close formation; fig. with united effort, with mutual cooperation and support. straight from the shoulder (of a blow) with the fist brought to the shoulder and then swiftly sent forward; (of a pulling movement) with the arm kept straight. weep on a person's shoulder = cry on a person's shoulder above.
Comb.: shoulder-bag a bag with a shoulder-strap that can be carried suspended from the shoulder; shoulder-belt a strap passing over one shoulder and under the opposite arm, a bandolier; shoulder-blade either of the two flat triangular bones lying over the ribs in the upper part of the back and articulated with the humerus; shoulder board either of the two stiffened pieces of material worn at the shoulders of military uniform and bearing the insignia of rank; shoulder-bone (now rare) = shoulder-blade above; shoulder charge noun & verb (a) noun a charge in which the shoulder is directed at the target; (b) verb trans. charge at with the shoulder first; shoulder-clapper (rare, Shakes.) an officer undertaking the arrest of an offender, a bailiff; shoulder flash a shoulder patch or tab (see below); shoulder-girdle: see GIRDLE noun1 4a; shoulder-height adverb = shoulder-high adverb below; shoulder-high adjective & adverb up to or as high as the shoulders; shoulder-holster a gun holster worn in the armpit suspended from a shoulder-strap; shoulder-in Horsemanship a movement in which a rider bends a horse evenly round inside leg from head to tail, with the animal's legs crossing and the head bent away from the direction of movement; shoulder-joint the joint of the shoulder; the articulation by which the humerus of the upper arm or forelimb is connected with the trunk; shoulder-knot (a) a knot of ribbon, metal, lace, etc., worn on the shoulder often as part of a ceremonial dress; spec. = AGLET 2b; (b) any of several noctuid moths which have a dark streak at the base of the forewing; shoulder-lappet Entomology (a) = PATAGIUM 1; (b) = TEGULA 1; shoulder-length adjective (of hair etc.) reaching down to the shoulders; shoulder line (a) a line drawn on the shoulder of an object; (b) the line of a woman's garment over the shoulders; shoulder loop US the shoulder-strap of an army, air-force, or marine officer; shoulder mark US the shoulder-strap of a naval officer; shoulder moth = sense 6 above; shoulder-note Printing a note inserted at the top of the side margin of a page; shoulder-of-mutton adjective resembling a shoulder of mutton, esp. in shape; shoulder-of-mutton fist (arch.), a large heavy fleshy fist; shoulder-of-mutton sail, a triangular sail attached to a mast; shoulder-pad: sewn into a garment to make the shoulders appear larger; shoulder patch: attached to the shoulder of a garment and bearing an emblem or insignia; shoulder period a travel period between peak and off-peak seasons; shoulder-piece (a) Hist. a piece of armour covering the shoulder; (b) a piece or pieces of material composing the shoulders of a garment; (c) the piece forming the shoulder of a tool etc.; shoulder plane Carpentry a plane with a narrow mouth and a low-pitched cutter, used on end grain; shoulder pod a support for a camera that rests against the shoulder; shoulder season = shoulder period above; shoulder-shotten adjective (arch.) (of an animal) having a strained or dislocated shoulder; shoulder stand a gymnastic movement in which the body and legs are held up in the air and supported on the shoulders; shoulder-strap (a) either of two short straps which go over the shoulders, connecting and supporting the front and back parts of a garment; (b) each of the narrow straps fastened on the shoulders of a military tunic; esp. an ornamental strap distinguishing the corps and grade of an officer; (c) a strap to go over one shoulder as a support for a bag etc. to which it is connected; shoulder stripe a geometrid moth, Anticlea badiata, which has a dark stripe across the base of the forewing; shoulder tab either of the two pieces of material worn at the shoulders of military or other uniform and bearing insignia of rank; shoulder-tuft = shoulder-lappet above; shoulder wing a monoplane wing mounted high on the fuselage but not in the highest position.
shoulderless adjective (esp. of a garment) without a shoulder or shoulders E20.