What it means
Means irritable, touchy, or weirdly snappy for no proper reason. If someone’s getting shirty, they’re coming out with little digs, sighing like it’s a full-time job, and acting like the tiniest hassle is everyone else’s fault. It’s usually a mild telling-off, not a proper insult, and it fits those pre-coffee moods perfectly.
Usage examples
"Oi, don’t get shirty, yeah? I only asked if you wanted a brew. You’ve been huffing round the kitchen like the toaster owes you money."
"Do not get shirty with the new kid at the bus stop just because he asked for the time, he probably forgot his phone at the gym and the rain is coming down sideways already."
"She got proper shirty when the supermarket ran out of the granola she likes, sighed loudly at the assistant and walked out without buying anything else, total Saturday morning energy."
Where it comes from
Comes from the older phrase to get your shirt out, meaning to lose your temper, recorded in British English since the late nineteenth century. The image is of someone so worked up their shirt comes untucked, and the shorter shirty has carried the irritation forward without the wardrobe malfunction needing to happen.
Other ways to say it
Editors of this term
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