shrug

shrug

English

A person wearing a shrug, highlighted in pink

Etymology

From Middle English schruggen, shrukken, probably of North Germanic origin related to Danish skrugge, skrukke (“to stoop; crouch”), Swedish skruga, skrukka (“to huddle; crouch”), all from or related to Old Norse skrykkva, from Proto-Germanic *skrinkwaną. Compare also Old English scrincan (“to shrink”). More at shrink.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ʃɹʌɡ/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ʌɡ

Noun

shrug (plural shrugs)

1. A lifting of the shoulders to signal indifference or a casual lack of knowledge.

   He dismissed my comment with a shrug.

2. A cropped, cardigan-like garment with short or long sleeves, typically knitted.

Translations

gesture

Bulgarian: вдигане на рамене n (vdigane na ramene) Catalan: encongiment d'espatlles m Chinese: Mandarin: 聳肩／耸肩 (zh) (sǒngjiān) Danish: skuldertræk (da) n Dutch: schouderophalen (nl) n Finnish: olankohautus (fi) French: haussement d'épaules m German: Schulterzucken (de) n, Achselzucken (de) n Hungarian: vállrándítás (hu) Italian: spalluccia f Polish: wzruszenie ramionami n Portuguese: encolhida de ombros f, dar de ombros (pt) Russian: пожима́ние плеча́ми n (požimánije plečámi) Scottish Gaelic: crathadh m Serbo-Croatian: Cyrillic: слијегање раменима n Roman: slijeganje ramenima n Spanish: encogimiento de hombros m Swedish: axelryckning (sv) c Ukrainian: знизування плечима n (znyzuvannja plečyma)

Verb

shrug (third-person singular simple present shrugs, present participle shrugging, simple past and past participle shrugged)

1. (transitive, intransitive) To raise (the shoulders) to express uncertainty, lack of concern, (formerly) dread, etc.

   I asked him for an answer and he just shrugged.

   When he saw the problem, he just shrugged and started fixing it.

   • 1712 January 13 (Gregorian calendar)​, Joseph Addison; Richard Steele [et al.], “WEDNESDAY, January 2, 1711–1712”, in The Spectator, number 264; republished in Alexander Chalmers, editor, The Spectator; a New Edition, […], volume III, New York, N.Y.: D[aniel] Appleton & Company, 1853, OCLC 191120697:

     He […] shrugs his shoulders when you talk of securities.

Translations

to raise the shoulders to express uncertainty, lack of concern, etc.

Arabic: هَزَّ كَتِفَيْن‎ (hazza katifayn) Armenian: թոթվել ուսերը (tʿotʿvel userə) Bulgarian: вдигам рамене impf (vdigam ramene), вдигна рамене pf (vdigna ramene) Catalan: arronsar les espatlles (ca), s'arronsar d'espatlles Chinese: Mandarin: 聳／耸 (zh) (sǒng), 聳肩／耸肩 (zh) (sǒngjiān) Czech: pokrčit rameny pf Danish: trække på skuldrene Dutch: de schouders ophalen, schokschouderen (nl) Esperanto: ŝultrumi (eo) Finnish: kohauttaa olkiaan, kohauttaa olkapäitään French: hausser les épaules (fr) German: mit den Schultern zucken (de), mit den Achseln zucken Hungarian: vállat von, megvonja a vállát, vállat rándít Italian: fare spallucce Japanese: 肩を竦める (かたをすくめる, kata-o sukumeru), 肩を窄める (かたをすぼめる, kata-o subomeru) Korean: 어깨를 으쓱하다 (eokkae-reul eusseukhada) Maori: hikihiki pakihiwi, hikihiki pakihiwi Polish: wzruszać ramionami impf, wzruszyć ramionami pf Portuguese: dar de ombros (pt), encolher os ombros (pt) Russian: пожима́ть плеча́ми (ru) impf (požimátʹ plečámi), пожа́ть плеча́ми pf (požátʹ plečámi) Scottish Gaelic: (transitive) crath Serbo-Croatian: Cyrillic: слегнути раменима Roman: slegnuti ramenima Slovak: pokrčiť plecami pf Spanish: encogerse de hombros Swedish: rycka på axlarna (sv) Turkish: omuz silkmek (tr) Ukrainian: зни́зувати плечи́ма impf (znýzuvaty plečýma), зниза́ти плечи́ма pf (znyzáty plečýma)

See also

• ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯

Anagrams

• Rughs