Metals that are brittle when hot are called &?;ot- short; as, cast iron
may be hot-short, owing to the presence of sulphur. Those that are
brittle when cold are called cold-short; as, cast iron may be
cold-short, on account of the presence of phosphorus.
12. (Stock Exchange) Engaging or engaged to deliver what is not
possessed; as, short contracts; to be short of stock. See The shorts,
under Short, n., and To sell short, under Short, adv.
In mercantile transactions, a note or bill is sometimes made payable at
short sight, that is, in a little time after being presented to the
payer.
13. (Phon.) Not prolonged, or relatively less prolonged, in utterance;
-- opposed to long, and applied to vowels or to syllables. In English,
the long and short of the same letter are not, in most cases, the long
and short of the same sound; thus, the i in ill is the short sound, not
of i in isle, but of ee in eel, and the e in pet is the short sound of
a in pate, etc. See Quantity, and Guide to Pronunciation, §§22, 30.
Short is much used with participles to form numerous self-explaining
compounds; as, short-armed, short- billed, short-fingered,
short-haired, short- necked, short-sleeved, short-tailed, short-
winged, short-wooled, etc.
At short notice, in a brief time; promptly. -- Short rib (Anat.), one
of the false ribs. -- Short suit (Whist), any suit having only three
cards, or less than three. R. A. Proctor. -- To come short, To cut
short, To fall short, etc. See under Come, Cut, etc.
Short, n. 1. A summary account.
The short and the long is, our play is preferred.
Shak.
2. pl. The part of milled grain sifted out which is next finer than the
bran.
The first remove above bran is shorts.
Halliwell.