A Very Short Quiz

Answer: shortcut

A shortcut means a way of saving time. It can also be a key (or combination of keys) on a computer which perform(s) a specific function when used.

Answer: shorted

The term shorted is informally used to describe a transaction which is insufficient or less than expected. For example, "The cashier shorted me a dollar" or "My boss shorted me in overtime pay".

Answer: shorthand

The process of writing in shorthand is called stenography, from the Greek words stenos (narrow) and graphein (to write). Some of the most popular modern systems are Pitman, Gregg and Speedwriting. Teeline is also a method, which is taught in journalism classes in the UK, but is not usually used elsewhere.

Answer: shortening

Shortening gets its name from the effect it has on gluten production. "Short" doughs are very rich, crumbly, and tender with butter like a piecrust or pastry. They're more crisp instead of chewy, and slightly sandy, unlike "long dough", which can be stretched as in breadmaking.

Answer: shortly

"Shortly" and "briefly" are sometimes misused. To state: "I'll be home shortly" means you'll arrive home soon. However, using the adverb "briefly", as in "I'll be home briefly", would imply that you'll be home FOR a short amount of time, not IN a short amount of time.

Answer: short film

As defined by the Academy of Motion Picture Art and Sciences, a short film is forty minutes or less (including credits). The first Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film was presented to "The Music Box", released in 1932.

Answer: shorts

Shorts are a "shortened" version of trousers, hence the name. Usually worn in warm weather, they are available in various styles such as Bermuda shorts, culottes, cycling shorts and even skorts (a portmanteau of "skirt" and "shorts").

Answer: short sell

Short selling, also known as "shorting", "selling short" or "going short", refers to the sale of a security or any asset that can by traded in the financial market. The seller borrows a security to make the short sale believing that the borrowed security's price will decline, enabling it to be bought back at a lower price before the loan repayment deadline.

The difference between the price at which the security was sold short and the price at which it was purchased represents the short seller's profit (or loss, in some cases).

Answer: short-sighted

Short-sightedness, or myopia, is a common eye condition where distant objects appear blurred but close objects are seen clearly. Short-sighted thinking is lacking foresight, i.e., the ability to anticipate (and possibly prepare for) future events.

Answer: shortstop

The position is believed to have been created in the 1840s. According to "The Dickson Baseball Dictionary (Third Edition)" the term is derived from "A blend of 'short' + 'stop', presumably created to better describe the defensive function of the job performed in the short field. The term almost certainly is an adaptation of the cricket position of long stop."