Sheer vs Sharp - What's the difference?
sheer | sharp |
(textiles) Very thin or transparent.
* '>citation
(obsolete) Pure; unmixed.
* Shakespeare
* Shakespeare
Being only what it seems to be; mere.
* 2012 , July 15. Richard Williams in Guardian Unlimited,
Very steep; almost vertical or perpendicular.
Used to emphasize the amount or degree of something.
*
, title=The Mirror and the Lamp
, chapter=2 * 2012 October 31, David M. Halbfinger, "[http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/01/nyregion/new-jersey-continues-to-cope-with-hurricane-sandy.html?hp]," New York Times (retrieved 31 October 2012):
(nautical) The curve of the main deck or gunwale from bow to stern.
(nautical) An abrupt swerve from the course of a ship.
(chiefly, nautical) To swerve from a course.
* 1899 ,
(obsolete) To shear.
Able to cut easily.
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*:Orion hit a rabbit once; but though sore wounded it got to the bury, and, struggling in, the arrow caught the side of the hole and was drawn out. Indeed, a nail filed sharp is not of much avail as an arrowhead; you must have it barbed, and that was a little beyond our skill.
(lb) Intelligent.
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* {{quote-news, author=(Jesse Jackson), title=In the Ferguson era, Malcolm X’s courage in fighting racism inspires more than ever, work=(The Guardian) (London), date=20 February 2015
, passage=At school, despite his sharp mind, Malcolm was laughed at by teachers when he said he wanted to be a lawyer. }}
Terminating in a point or edge; not obtuse or rounded.
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(lb) Higher than usual by one semitone (denoted by the symbol after the name of the note).
(lb) Higher in pitch than required.
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Having an intense, acrid flavour.''
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Sudden and intense.
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*:She wakened in sharp panic, bewildered by the grotesquerie of some half-remembered dream in contrast with the harshness of inclement fact.
(lb) Illegal or dishonest.
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(lb) Keenly or unduly attentive to one's own interests; shrewd.
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*(Jonathan Swift) (1667–1745)
*:the necessity of being so sharp and exacting
Exact, precise, accurate; keen.
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*{{quote-magazine, year=2013, month=July-August, author=
, magazine=(American Scientist), title= Offensive, critical, or acrimonious.
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(lb) Stylish or attractive.
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Observant; alert; acute.
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Forming a small angle; forming an angle of less than ninety degrees.
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*1900 , , (The House Behind the Cedars) , Chapter I,
*:The street down which Warwick had come intersected Front Street at a sharp angle in front of the old hotel, forming a sort of flatiron block at the junction, known as Liberty Point
Steep; precipitous; abrupt.
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Said of as extreme a value as possible.
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(lb) Tactical; risky.
*1963 , Max Euwe, Chess Master Vs. Chess Amateur (page xviii)
*:Time and time again, the amateur player has lost the opportunity to make the really best move because he felt bound to follow some chess "rule" he had learned, rather than to make the sharp move which was indicated by the position.
*1975 , Lud?k Pachman, Decisive Games in Chess History (page 64)
*:In such situations most chess players choose the ohvious and logical way: they go in for sharp play. However, not everyone is a natural attacking player
Piercing; keen; severe; painful.
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*(William Shakespeare) (1564-1616)
*:Sharp misery had worn him to the bones.
*(William Cowper) (1731-1800)
*:the morning sharp and clear
*(John Keble) (1792-1866)
*:in sharpest perils faithful proved
Eager or keen in pursuit; impatient for gratification.
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(lb) Fierce; ardent; fiery; violent; impetuous.
*(John Milton) (1608-1674)
*:in sharp contest of battle
*(John Dryden) (1631-1700)
*:A sharp assault already is begun.
Composed of hard, angular grains; gritty.
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:(Edward Moxon)
Uttered in a whisper, or with the breath alone; aspirated; unvoiced.
To a point or edge; piercingly; eagerly; sharply.
* Shakespeare
(notcomp) Exactly.
(music) In a higher pitch than is correct or desirable.
(music) The symbol ?, placed after the name of a note in the key signature or before a note on the staff to indicate that the note is to be played a semitone higher.
(music) A note that is played a semitone higher than usual; denoted by the name of the note that is followed by the symbol ?.
(music) A note that is sharp in a particular key.
(music) The scale having a particular sharp note as its tonic.
(usually, in the plural) Something that is sharp.
A sharp tool or weapon.
* Collier
(medicine) A hypodermic syringe.
(medicine, dated) A scalpel or other edged instrument used in surgery.
A dishonest person; a cheater.
Part of a stream where the water runs very rapidly.
A sewing needle with a very slender point, more pointed than a blunt or a between.
(in the plural) middlings
(slang, dated) An expert.
A sharpie (member of Australian gangs of the 1960s and 1970s).
* 2006 , Iain McIntyre, Tomorrow Is Today: Australia in the Psychedelic Era, 1966-1970
(music) To raise the pitch of a note half a step making a natural note a sharp.
To play tricks in bargaining; to act the sharper.
As an adjective sheer
is (textiles) very thin or transparent.As an adverb sheer
is (archaic) clean; quite; at once.As a noun sheer
is (nautical) the curve of the main deck or gunwale from bow to stern.As a verb sheer
is (chiefly|nautical) to swerve from a course.As a proper noun sharp is
.sheer
English
Etymology 1
From (etyl) (m), (m), (m), (m), from (etyl) .Adjective
(en-adj)- sheer ale
- Thou sheer , immaculate, and silver fountain.
Tour de France 2012: Carpet tacks cannot force Bradley Wiggins off track
- Cycling's complex etiquette contains an unwritten rule that riders in contention for a race win should not be penalised for sheer misfortune.
citation, passage=That the young Mr. Churchills liked—but they did not like him coming round of an evening and drinking weak whisky-and-water while he held forth on railway debentures and corporation loans. Mr. Barrett, however, by fawning and flattery, seemed to be able to make not only Mrs. Churchill but everyone else do what he desired. And if the arts of humbleness failed him, he overcame you by sheer impudence.}}
- Perhaps as startling as the sheer toll was the devastation to some of the state’s well-known locales. Boardwalks along the beach in Seaside Heights, Belmar and other towns on the Jersey Shore were blown away. Amusement parks, arcades and restaurants all but vanished. Bridges to barrier islands buckled, preventing residents from even inspecting the damage to their property.
Synonyms
* (very thin or transparent) diaphanous, see-through, thin * downright, mere, pure, undiluted, unmitigated * (straight up and down) perpendicular, steep, verticalEtymology 2
; see also (m).Noun
(en noun)Verb
(en verb)- A horse sheers at a bicycle.
- I sheered her well inshore—the water being deepest near the bank, as the sounding–pole informed me.
- (Dryden)
Anagrams
*sharp
English
Adjective
(er)citation
Catherine Clabby
Focus on Everything, passage=Not long ago, it was difficult to produce photographs of tiny creatures with every part in focus.
Synonyms
* (able to cut easily) keen, razor, razor-sharp * (intelligent) brainy, bright, intelligent, keen, smart, witty * (able to pierce easily) pointed * (having an intense and acrid flavour) acrid, pungent * (sudden and intense) abrupt, acute, stabbing * dishonest, dodgy, illegal, illicit, underhand * (accurate) accurate, exact, keen, precise * (critical) acrimonious, bitter, cutting, harsh, hostile, nasty * chic, elegant, smart, stylish * (observant) acute, alert, keen, observant, sharp-eyedAntonyms
* (able to cut easily) blunt, dull * (intelligent) dim, dim-witted, slow, slow-witted, thick * (able to pierce easily) blunt * (higher than usual by one semitone) flat * flat * (having an intense and acrid flavour) bland, insipid, tasteless * (sudden and intense) dull * above-board, honest, legit, legitimate, reputable * (accurate) inaccurate, imprecise * (critical) complimentary, flattering, friendly, kind, nice * inelegant, scruffy, shabby * (observant) unobservantDerived terms
* not the sharpest knife in the drawer * sharpish * sharply * sharp-wittedAdverb
(er)- You bite so sharp at reasons.
- I'll see you at twelve o'clock sharp .
- I didn't enjoy the concert much because the tenor kept going sharp on the high notes.
Synonyms
* (exactly) exactly, on the dot (of time), preciselyNoun
(en noun)- The pitch pipe sounded out a perfect F? (F sharp).
- ''Transposition frequently is harder to read because of all the sharps and flats on the staff.
- The piece was difficult to read after it had been transposed, since in the new key many notes were sharps .
- Beethoven's "Moonlight Sonata" is written in C? minor (C sharp minor.)
- Place sharps in the specially marked red container for safe disposal.
- If butchers had but the manners to go to sharps , gentlemen would be contented with a rubber at cuffs.
- The casino kept in the break room a set of pictures of known sharps for the bouncers to see.
- (Charles Kingsley)
- The Circle was one of the few dances the older sharps frequented; mostly they were to be found in pubs, pool-halls or at the track.
Derived terms
* card sharp * double sharpSee also
* (music) accidental, flat, natural *Verb
(en verb)- That new musician must be tone deaf: he sharped half the notes of the song!